Path of Dappled Light
by Alaena F. Dragonstar
Summary: A case turned trap lands Shinichi in a remote, mountain village with no memories. Now it's a race between his friends and his enemies to see who can find him first. :KaiShin:
1. The Crumbling Bridge

**A.N**: I found pieces of this story and an outline lying around in my computer when sorting through old stories. It's actually one of the earliest fics I ever started for DCMK but I never got around to fleshing it out. I liked the pieces I found though so I've decided to try and finish it. Hope you guys enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK

Pairing: Pre-established KaiShin [KaitoxShinichi] Although there will be a lot of flashbacks going back to how it came about.

Summary: A case turned trap lands Shinichi in a remote, mountain village with no memories. Now it's a race between his friends and his enemies to see who can find him first.

* * *

**Path of Dappled Light**

1: The Crumbling Bridge

The crunch of dry leaves and twigs echoed through the stillness of the forest. Night had long since draped its tender wings over the world but where the usual chirps and hums of nocturnal life were meant to be today there was nothing but breathless silence. Only the boy whose footsteps pounded over layers of dry foliage moved in the forest tonight. Him and the shadow that darted between the trees several hundred yards behind him.

There was a flash and a crack and Kudo Shinichi ducked as something whizzed through the air where his head had been. A low hanging branch in the distance exploded in a shower of splinters and leaves. A second shot rang out and the rest of the branch came crashing down, forcing Shinichi to dodge around it. He barely felt the sharp twigs and splinters of wood that scraped past his face; too busy searching for the next open path. The part of his mind that wasn't fixated on running noted that if he didn't shake off his pursuer soon he wouldn't be getting away at all. His lungs and legs were burning and he was starting to feel as though he just couldn't get enough oxygen. Of course he had been running since the sun had started setting so that was no surprise. The scrapes and bruises he'd collected during the narrow escape from his car weren't helping. If he really thought about it he would be surprised that he'd been able to keep ahead of his pursuer for so long, but he didn't have the spare energy to marvel at that miracle right now.

He was going to be in pain in the morning, but that would be all right as long as there _was_ a morning.

Another shot just barely grazed his shoulder and he thanked the night for its concealing darkness. Whoever was back there obviously had good aim if they could run and shoot in this abysmal lighting and still be almost on the mark. Not that that was a particularly encouraging realization.

Ahead of him the trees thinned and he could just barely make out the distant sound of rushing water. Judging from the resonance the stream or river was probably at the bottom of some kind of ravine, which meant he'd either have to pick a new direction or hope like hell that there was a bridge.

Opting to keep on his forward path, he squinted in the vain hopes of seeing what lay ahead. For once, it seemed he'd gotten lucky. There, just barely visible, was the outline of two wooden posts set roughly five feet apart. The bridge itself was little more than a blacker shadow in the night, but it looked solid and he wasn't going to be too picky right now. If there was a bridge, that meant someone had built it, and if someone had built it, then there must be people—or at least a path—nearby.

The ground near his feet exploded in a spray of dirt and twigs. Gritting his teeth, Shinichi dove for the bridge. Wooden planks and old ropes groaned at the sudden weight and he groaned with them inwardly. That did not sound good at all. Even as the thought crossed his mind his entire body lurched as the wood gave way beneath his feet.

His last coherent thought as he fell was that at least he wasn't going to be shot.

Oh joy.

X

Everything hurt, but the worst part was he couldn't seem to breathe. Bolting upright despite the screaming protests from what felt like every muscle in his body he half choked, half coughed up the water that had been suffocating him. Someone was rubbing his back as they supported him, but he couldn't make out what they were saying through the coughing and the pounding headache that was growing rapidly more painful as the immediate fear of suffocation ebbed with each gasping breath. Once the coughing had subsided a little he made an effort to pry his eyes open. He succeeded only to regret it as the bright sunlight sent renewed stabs of pain through his head. Groaning, he squeezed his eyes shut again. It helped, but only barely.

In the brief moment of light he had managed to catch sight of the people who were now trying to help him up. There were two of them, one man and one woman, but his vision had been too blurry to make out any more defining features.

Two pairs of hands took him carefully by the arms and he was lifted to his feet. The world spun and tilted with the movement despite the fact that he kept his eyes tightly shut and he couldn't hold back the nauseated groan that forced its way past his throat. Concerned voices were speaking over his bowed head but he couldn't make them out through the roaring in his ears. It felt like the sky was falling—or maybe it was the earth that had decided to learn from the sea and begin undulating in sickening waves. He was more than relieved when the darkness closed over him again.

The next time he woke everything still hurt but he could breathe much more easily and his head didn't feel like it was splitting open anymore. He appeared to be lying on something soft, so he wasn't wherever it was he had been the last time he'd woken. He debated with himself for a moment over the wisdom of opening his eyes before deciding to take the risk. Several seconds of arguing with his reluctant eyelids later he managed to crack them open just enough to see a ceiling over his head. So he wasn't outside anymore and shouldn't have to worry about being stabbed in the eyes by overly bright sunlight. But then where was he? Opening his eyes all the way, he turned his head to examine his surroundings.

The room was small and plain but clean and obviously well kept. The only furniture he could see was the low cot he was lying on, a table, and one chair. Everything had been crafted of slightly worn wood. There was a window in one wall, but the curtains were closed so that only the thinnest strips of light could be seen around the edges, giving the room a dim but warm glow. Part of him noted how odd it was that there were no lamps or lights of any kind, then he wondered why it was so odd.

He was just turning that thought over for closer inspection when the door in the wall opposite the cot opened and in walked a young woman with a long, black braid dressed in clothes that that same voice that had noted how odd the lack of electric lights was told him were handmade. She paused in the doorway when their eyes met, apparently surprised to find him awake, then she smiled and came all the way in.

"How are you feeling?" she inquired, moving to set the tray she had been carrying on the table.

He considered the question for a moment. Every muscle in his body was aching and his head still felt like someone was drumming on the inside, but he could breathe freely and the aches and pains were marginally better than how he recalled them being before.

"Better," he said finally, his voice rasping out through a throat he only just realized had acquired desert-like qualities some time while he was unconscious. "Where…?"

The woman poured water into one of the wooden cups on her tray and came to stand beside the cot. "My brother and I found you in the river yesterday morning. You are very fortunate, but I fear your injuries may take a while to heal. This is our house. We don't get many visitors around here, but you are welcome to stay as long as you need to. Here." Reaching over, she carefully helped him into a sitting position and handed him the water which he took with a grateful sigh.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." She smiled, refilling the water in his emptied cup. "My name is Kita Mizumi. And you are?"

He opened his mouth then paused, a sudden chill racing down his spine. "I—I don't know…"

**TBC**

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**A.N**: Hmm, this chapter was a bit short. Hopefully the next one will be up soon. I'm still working on the epilogue for Midnight White. Other than that, I'm finding several fic bits in my files that I think I might be expanding on. Anyhow, stay warm! Everyone around me seems to be getting sick. I'm afraid I'll be next. I've had a splitting headache all day and the hint of a runny nose… See ya ^_^


	2. Unwritten Calling Cards

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK

* * *

**Path of Dappled Light**

2: Unwritten Calling Cards

Kuroba Kaito was frowning. That in itself would have been enough to put anyone who knew him on edge. The magician never frowned—not like this, like he really meant it. That wasn't to say that he never got upset, he was human after all, but he usually preferred to keep such pieces of information to himself. He certainly had the skills to do so. But there was no one around at the moment to see his slip and at this point he didn't particularly care.

Something was wrong.

He was currently sitting in the Kudo Manor's library. He had let himself in about an hour ago, searched the house from top to bottom, and come up empty. There was no one in the house. Of course, he knew that Shinichi had gone on a case, but he had been scheduled to be back three days ago.

Shinichi was a very punctual person by nature, but he also attracted trouble like there was no tomorrow. So it wasn't all that unusual for him to be late. Trips out of Beika often wound up lasting a day or two beyond schedule. But to be three whole days late was unusual even for him. To be three days late and not have told anyone he'd be delayed was unheard of, if only because Shinichi was the kind of person who needed to know that the people close to him could contact him if they were in trouble. For none of them to have heard a word meant that something had to be wrong.

There were times when he kept quiet out of necessity, but even then Kaito always heard from him. It was an arrangement that had started when they had first began working together against the Black Organization. Back then it was imperative that they both knew if anything had happened or was going on as soon as possible because every second could mean the difference between success and failure. Silence had always meant the worst.

Habits born of paranoia—especially logical paranoia—didn't fade with either speed or grace.

Pulling a cell phone from what appeared to be thin air, he dialed Shinichi's number for the umpteenth time that day. Again, he was greeted with the message saying that the number in question was out of service. Letting out a frustrated breath, he called a different number. This one was picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?" the voice on the other end inquired, sounding slightly distracted.

"Hattori-kun, do you have a moment?"

"Kuroba?" the Osakan asked, surprised. Shinichi had introduced him to the magician shortly before their final strike against the B.O. and they got along fairly well, but they didn't generally have much to do with one another. "Uh, I'm kinda in the middle of a case at the moment—"

"Have you heard from Shinichi?" Kaito cut in, allowing a hint of his unease to creep into his voice.

The noises in the background on the other end of the phone faded as Hattori, apparently getting the hint, moved to find a more secluded spot. "Not since he left for his case. Why?"

"He hasn't come back yet."

"What? But it's been almost a week! Did he say anything about another case or something? I mean, from what he told me the case he was going to didn't seem like it'd be all that tough. It was a private request right?"

"Yes, from a recluse in the mountains. His phone seems to be out of reach."

Hattori was silent for a long moment. "I'll see what I can find out, but I'm not sure what I can do from here. Once this case is wrapped up I'll catch the next train over."

Once that conversation was over, Kaito debated with himself for a moment before slipping out of the Kudo Manor and setting a course for the library near his home where he knew his best friend Aoko was studying with Hakuba Saguru. It was rather ironic, he mused, laughing to himself, that he was now actively tracking down and/or contacting not one but multiple detectives in one day. What was the world coming to? Then again, he was nothing if not good at making use of all his resources.

He knew that Hakuba had been keeping up with Shinichi's exploits in the news ever since that serial murder case the two detectives had worked together on. That case had been particularly bad for Shinichi, Kaito recalled. The fact that the killer had managed to get to so many victims before the detective could get to him had left a deep impression on Shinichi. Every new victim had seen him growing more and more frustrated and determined. In some ways Kaito thought the detective felt himself responsible for the deaths he hadn't been in time to prevent. Perhaps Shinichi had become too accustomed to being the one who was supposed to have all the answers. Even after the case had been closed Shinichi had spent weeks drowning himself in work to the point where Kaito had been tempted to put his custom made knockout gas to use just so the detective would rest. It had taken Kaito, Ran, Hattori, Kazuha, a (slightly forced) trip to a lakeside retreat, and several long talks to drag him out of his depression.

Shaking his head at the recollection, the magician slipped a broad, carefree grin onto his face and pushed open the library doors.

He found his quarry in a study room located by the history section of the library. Announcing his presence with a flash and a shower of confetti, he popped up behind Aoko and covered her eyes.

"Guess who!" he singsonged right into her ear.

"Kaito!" she shrieked, jerking around in her seat and taking a swing at him with the rather hefty history textbook she'd been holding. He leapt back out of reach and laughed.

"And the prize goes to Nakamori Aoko! Congratulations! Let's have a round of applause!"

"We are in a library," Hakuba snapped from where he was seated across the table from the fuming girl. "Keep your voice down."

"What are you doing here anyway?" Aoko demanded, setting her book back on the table and giving Kaito a slightly suspicious look. "I thought you said you had work to do."

He shrugged, sliding into the empty chair beside hers. "Turns out I didn't have as much work as I thought."

She raised an eyebrow but seemed to accept the explanation. "Do you want to study with us then? I mean, the test is tomorrow after all."

"Nah. I've already done all the studying I need to for that," he replied, dismissing the suggestion with an airy wave. Then he grinned and snapped his fingers. A newspaper appeared and he spread it open with a cheery hum. "Carry on. Those books won't read themselves."

Aoko rolled her eyes but smiled as she returned to her reading. Hakuba on the other hand shot the magician a suspicious look. On an impulse he glanced sidelong at the study room window to check his own reflection in the glass for any abnormalities. He was more than a little surprised when he didn't find any.

The next fifteen minutes dragged by with each Ekoda student studying or reading his or her own book or newspaper. Eventually Kaito pulled a pencil out of his ear with a flourish and started on the crossword.

"Doesn't seem to be anything interesting happening lately," he commented as he started on the puzzle. "Though I see there's an article on you in here Hakuba. Had a lot of cases lately?"

The blonde gave a noncommittal snort without looking up from reviewing his notes. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Hmm, there doesn't seem to be much news on that Kudo detective everyone wouldn't stop writing about before though."

A frown ghosted across Hakuba's face and Kaito smiled inwardly. "I believe he was called out to the mountains, but no one seems to know much about it."

"Really?" Kaito asked, feigning disinterest as he filled in the next piece of the crossword. "Isn't he working with the police?"

"Not that I've heard."

Well, that was slightly worrying, the magician mused. Hakuba had a lot of connections in the police—and unlike Hattori, who lived in Osaka, said connections included several Beika officers. Shinichi's cases almost always wound up involving the police, whether or not they started that way, so the fact that the police didn't know about his purpose in the mountains meant either that the case was not of the dangerous or homicidal kind or he had been unable to call them. Knowing Shinichi, the latter was far more likely to be the case.

"Well, maybe he went undercover again," Aoko suggested, looking up from her book. "Like with that whole crime ring thing. My dad was talking about that. Apparently the police in Tokyo didn't know about it until the whole thing was almost over. Kudo-san was actually working with Interpol and stuff. I mean, if people like that wanted his help again they probably wouldn't want to spread it around."

"True," Hakuba consented. "However, if that were the case then they were sloppy about it since we do know where Kudo-san supposedly went and when he left."

"Oh…well, I guess it isn't any of our business anyway," Aoko sighed, gaze falling reluctantly back on the history textbook. "We've still got a lot of studying to do…"

Kaito finished his crossword and heaved an exaggerated sigh. "Aren't you two tired of studying? You've been here, what, since school let out? How 'bout we all go for ice cream?"

"Some of us _need_ to study to do well," she snapped, sounding mildly affronted. "This next test's supposed to count for a fourth of our grade! And then we'll be having college entrance exams! You do remember that don't you?"

"Don't waste your breath," the blond detective advised. "If he doesn't want to study it's his future he's risking."

"Such a thoughtful friend you are," Kaito drawled, vanishing his newspaper and bounding to his feet. "Well, I for one don't want to voluntarily coop myself up in here just for some numbers on a sheet of paper. See you tomorrow!" Confident that he'd pressed the buttons he wanted to, he swept them a mocking bow and bounded from the room. And just for fun he dyed Hakuba's hair purple on his way out.

X

Hakuba had heard of Kudo Shinichi, of course. The boy was currently the most famous detective in Japan, and certainly the most well known detective of their generation in the world. But what had really caught the blonde's attention was that Kudo had been dubbed the modern day Sherlock Holmes. Being a Holmes enthusiast himself, he had been a little irritated at the idea that anyone would dare claim such a lofty title. If he were to be totally honest he was also a bit envious. He knew he was a good detective in his own right, so what was it about this Kudo that made everyone think so highly of him? With that question in mind, he had considered searching out the other detective, but by then the boy had disappeared and it wasn't until a few months ago that he had reappeared on the scenes. His return had been splashed over the newspapers. Apparently, he had spent his two years of absence taking down some kind of international criminal organization.

About two weeks after Kudo's return to the visible world Hakuba finally met the Beika detective in person while working on a serial killer case. The first thing he had noticed about the other detective had been that he bore an uncanny resemblance to a certain magician classmate who enjoyed making Hakuba's life a living hell. Thank god the differences far outweighed the similarities. He was sure he'd go insane if the world ever saw fit to produce a second Kuroba Kaito. The second thing he'd noticed was the almost frightening intensity in Kudo's gaze as he examined the crime scene. There was something weirdly familiar about that look, though he still couldn't place where he'd seen it before. The third thing he'd observed was that the other detective had had an odd tendency to start asking leading questions and prodding the other officers on the scene into making connections for themselves before offering observations of his own. Most of the rest of the time he had been oddly quiet, moving from one end of the scene to the next and occasionally running off somewhere before coming back with a thoughtful frown.

At that point Hakuba had turned his attention fully upon the case, unwilling to let himself be outdone. His experience with murder cases was, he knew, somewhat less expansive than that of his fellow teenage detective, but that didn't mean he was inexperienced. Far from it.

It had been a nasty case. Six victims in the span of only two weeks. The police had been in a panic, but the killer was sly and they hadn't even realized three of the cases were the same killer's work until halfway through the investigation. It was Kudo who finally cornered the murderer. Hakuba had arrived on the scene after figuring out for himself who and where the killer was likely to strike next just in time to see the man knocked unconscious by a soccer ball of all things (where Kudo had gotten a soccer ball Hakuba still had no idea). Kudo had also been injured (the would-be-victim later told them that he'd received the stab wound while shielding her), but he hadn't seemed to notice until Hakuba asked if he was all right.

Those two weeks of working with Kudo Shinichi had left Hakuba with two realizations. The first was that Kudo was, indeed, brilliant. He wasn't sure if he could admit the other detective deserved to be called the Heisei Holmes, but he wasn't a fool and he could admire genius when he saw it. The second thing he had realized however was that Kudo Shinichi was hiding something. What kind of thing that might be, he wasn't sure, but it had to do with the two years he had been missing. Of course, it wasn't any of his business, so he had filed away the realization and left it at that.

Now, however, things had changed. It was true that he hadn't seen Kudo in the papers lately, and considering how many murders his fellow detective tended to encounter that was a bit odd. He remembered hearing that Kudo had gone to the mountains for some reason, but the details were vague at best. Aoko's suggestion that perhaps Kudo was on another secret case was plausible, but didn't seem all that likely. The more he turned the scattered pieces of information over in his mind, the more Hakuba found himself wondering what the other detective was up to. He hated loose ends and unexplained happenings, and these bits of news reeked of both.

He found himself going back now and unearthing that file from his mental filing cabinets. The main question that caused this? How did Kuroba Kaito know Kudo Shinichi? Not, of course, that Kaito had really indicated that he knew the detective, but something about the encounter in the library made Hakuba wonder. Had Kaito mentioned Kudo purely by coincidence? Or had it been something else?

As far as he knew the two had never met. Or at least not as Kuroba and Kudo. He'd been in England at the time but he had heard tell from the KID Taskforce that Kudo had participated in a KID heist several years back. It was apparently the closest the elusive thief had ever come to being caught—Nakamori still griped about it whenever he was in a particularly foul temper with 'interfering brat detectives'. So if Hakuba was right and Kuroba was KID—which of course he was, he'd prove it just as soon as he got a hold of some proof—then they would have met once. Though from what he'd heard that encounter hadn't lasted long and Kudo hadn't participated in any more KID heists since then. The last heist had taken place shortly before Kudo's reappearance, so the two couldn't have met after that. So if the two really knew each other, the acquaintanceship must have been made during Kudo's two years of absence. The same two years he supposedly spent working on that difficult syndicate case.

And now Kudo had left again and no one had heard from him. Or at least that was what Hakuba had heard. He hadn't thought to inquire into the matter before so he wasn't entirely sure. Now though he was curious.

So when Aoko left the library to meet up with Akako for dinner, Hakuba packed his own things and headed for the police station.

**TBC**

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**A.N**: And so the ball gets rolling! ^_^ Oh yeah, so just to clarify, this would be set post BO in a universe where KID worked with Conan to bring them down. More on that later. See you next time.


	3. Missing

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK

* * *

**Path of Dappled Light**

3: Missing

Ever since his return to the line light, Kudo Shinichi had become even more of an integral part of police life in the various districts of Tokyo than he had been before. It was an inevitable result of how the young detective seemed to have been ordained by fate to be a murder-detector. Every officer knew by this point that special attention should be paid to anywhere the Detective of the East was going. For that reason, the police kept close tabs on Shinichi's whereabouts—or at least as much as they could without being intrusive since the boy didn't always appreciate their watchfulness.

When Hakuba arrived at the Ekoda station he was greeted with surprise. He had told them earlier that week that he'd be busy with school work for a while and they hadn't been expecting to see him. Their immediate reaction was to ask if anything had happened. He assured them that no, he hadn't run across any crime scenes, and noted absently that the officer nearest the door went to put back the car keys he'd automatically picked up.

"I was just wondering if there had been any news from Kudo-san recently," he explained.

"You know, we got a call from the Beika station just this morning asking the same thing," one of the officers remarked, sounding thoughtful. "Sounded a bit like they were checking their bases before setting up to send people out looking for him."

"Poor kid certainly sees more than his fair share of trouble," someone else pointed out, looking up from his paperwork.

"Are they really planning a search?" Hakuba inquired, surprised despite himself. That implied a much greater sense of anxiety than he had originally thought the situation warranted. "Do they have reason to believe he is in danger?"

"I asked and they're not sure," the officer who'd apparently received the aforementioned call replied, frowning. "Though they did mention something about having checked out the client Kudo-kun was going to see only the person doesn't seem to exist."

It was Hakuba's turn to frown. "That could mean a number of things, few of them good."

Murmurs of agreement ran around the room. It seemed all the officers in the near vicinity had paused in their work to listen in to the conversation. A corner of Hakuba's mind noted that that, more than anything else, was rather telling. When had Kudo become so involved with the police outside of Beika? He hadn't even noticed himself how he'd seen the other detective at least once or twice every few weeks whereas before he'd thought they'd never meet. It was ridiculous that one person could do so much. It made him feel like he himself was supposed to be doing _more_.

In a hidden room in another part of Ekoda, Kaito sat back in his desk chair, idly twirling a pencil between his fingers as he listened to the voices being transmitted through the miniature receiver in his ear. He didn't like what he was hearing, but any information was better than nothing. What he didn't understand was how they could all know so little. Had they been getting careless? Their biggest and most dangerous enemies were all safely behind bars or beyond the reach of mortal hands and no attempts on either of their lives had been made since (accidents excluded).

Was it too much to ask that they get a little peace?

X

Hattori Heiji swung open the unlocked gate to the Kudo Manor and jogged up to the front step where Kaito was sitting, juggling six different colored balls. It still felt weird to the Osakan detective to see the magician and know that he was looking at the Kaitou KID out of uniform. He'd been more than a little wary of the other when Shinichi had introduced the magician, first as KID then as Kuroba Kaito, but he trusted Shinichi's judgment.

Speaking of Shinichi…

"I got the directions!" he announced as he skidded to a stop, waving the paper he'd been clutching in one hand all the way there.

The magician bounded to his feet, the juggling balls disappearing as he did so, and grinned. "Good. Let's—"

He was cut off by the sound of a female voice calling out across the yard.

"Hattori-kun?"

Both boys turned to see a brown-haired girl coming through the gate. She caught sight of Kaito as she drew nearer and her eyebrows rose.

"And Kaito-kun. What are you two doing here?" She glanced past them as she spoke as though expecting to see someone else. When she didn't, she frowned. "By the way, have either of you seen Shinichi? We were supposed to work on a project for school this morning, but he didn't show up."

"Oh, hey Nee-san. Uh, about that," Hattori began, glancing nervously at the paper he'd been brandishing before turning back to the waiting girl. "We were just going to go meet him."

Blue eyes narrowed, zeroing in on the Osakan detective's face and making him squirm. He wanted very much to look to Kaito for help, but Ran's stare held him in place and seemed to be seeing right through him. An instant later the girl's face darkened into a scowl.

"He's in trouble isn't he? Don't deny it," she added, eyes flashing.

"I wasn't going to," Hattori defended himself, looking equal parts defeated and chagrined. "But honestly, we're not sure. He could be perfectly fine and just stuck in the mountains because the road's washed out or something."

Standing behind the detective, who was beginning to sweat under Ran's increasingly upset stare, Kaito thought the entire situation would have been amusing if the circumstances had been a little less worrying. Mouri Ran, he had found, had the strange power to cow just about every detective he knew from her father to Shinichi himself. He wondered idly if she'd have the same effect on Hakuba. Now wouldn't that be fun? Something to keep in mind for another day.

For now though he listened to Hattori's stuttering explanations of the situation as he examined the directions he'd liberated from the Osakan's distracted grip. The place was slightly farther away than he had originally thought. They would probably have to drive. He wasn't in the mood for waiting on public transport.

Tuning back into the conversation, he heard Ran declare in a loud, no-nonsense manner, "I'm going with you."

"What?!" Hattori exclaimed in horror. "But—"

"I'm not waiting here to see what happens," the girl insisted, her voice going from irate to serious touched with a hint of weariness that had the detective swallowing his protests. "I won't get in the way. It's not like I've never been on a case with you guys before." But she was tired of waiting for things, be it for her parents to finally see that they still cared about each other or for her reckless childhood friend to let her know he was alive. She might not love him the way she thought she did oh so long ago, but that didn't make waiting any more enjoyable. He'd become practically family, and the whole Conan incident had shown her exactly how much trouble he could get himself into if left to his own devices. It made her wonder if she should have dragged him to her karate classes back when they'd been younger, but it was too late for that.

Kaito cleared his throat, drawing their attention to him. "If you two are done settling your differences, we should get going. I know a great place for car rentals."

"We're renting a car?" Hattori asked in surprise. "Why don't we just take the train?"

The magician raised an eyebrow. "Up into the mountains? I didn't realize I was so behind the times. Last time I checked the train didn't go that way."

"I didn't mean _that_," the detective spluttered then sighed in exasperation. "Guess a rental's better than hiking."

Kaito beamed. "That's what I thought."

X

He was a strange boy, Mizumi thought as she watched the youth in question hunting for weeds in the small vegetable garden in front of the house. He had wanted to be helpful so she had set him to weed-pulling. The task wasn't overly strenuous, especially since she kept the garden fairly well weeded on a regular basis, but it was enough to keep him occupied for the time being.

He still couldn't remember his name. Her brother Itou had suggested calling him Kochiro after the boy who had passed away five years ago—the only other person in the village in their memory ever to have blue eyes, and since their guest didn't seem to mind the name had stuck, though it tended to take him a moment to respond to it. Mizumi supposed that meant they knew that, whatever his name was, it wasn't what they were calling him.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Mizumi returned to preparing lunch. There were other odd things about their guest. For one, the boy had a tendency to sit with his back to a wall. He also had an uncanny sense for when he was being watched. She needed only to let her eyes rest on him for a handful of seconds for him to turn and meet her gaze with his own and inquire if she needed anything. It made her wonder… Had he perhaps been running from something? If so, then what? He seemed like such a nice boy, and, as her brother had said, the spirits of the valley surely would not have led them to him if he were actually dangerous. What could he need to run from?

Well, it wasn't really any of her business. As long as whoever, or whatever, might have been troubling the boy didn't follow him to the village, everything would be fine. It was probably better this way.

The villagers were starting to grow fond of their new Kochiro—especially after that incident two days ago. One of the children who had gone out to play in the natural rock garden at the eastern end of the valley hadn't returned home that night. They had thought he was hiding since he'd done it before just to try and give them all a scare, but when he still hadn't reappeared by the next morning the entire village had turned out to search for him. No one could find any trace of him and it was feared that he might have fallen into the river and been washed away by the year's unusually high waters. It was Kochiro who had, after spending some time wandering through the rock garden and talking to the children, led them to the missing boy. Apparently the child had fallen into a crevice in the rocks and broken his leg. By an unfortunate twist of fate the formation of the rock had both made the crevice hard to find and trapped his cries for help. It had taken a lot of careful work to get him out of there and home, but he was safe and everyone was grateful.

Smiling slightly to herself, she cast another look out the window at the boy. He'd worked his way to the edge of the garden where a row of rose bushes separated the vegetables from the road. He had paused and was just standing there, staring at the soft, white blooms as though in a trance.

Growing slightly worried, Mizumi moved to stand in the open doorway. "Kochiro? Are you all right?"

It was a few seconds before he apparently registered her query and turned to face her. "I'm all right Mizumi-san. Did you need anything?"

"Oh, no," she assured him. "Do you like the roses?"

He blinked in surprise at the question then nodded slowly as though he wasn't quite sure of the answer himself. As Mizumi retreated back to her cooking, he turned his attention back to the blossoms in question, a slight frown etched upon his brows.

_ A white rose in a gloved hand. "I have a proposition for you. You see, your shadows and mine seem to be being cast by the same source. So, would you care to hear my offer?"_

The frown deepened. Had it been a memory? If so, it must have been an old one, since from what he could tell he had been much smaller in it, and yet…it didn't feel like something from long ago.

Maybe it had just been a dream.

**TBC**


	4. The Empty Car

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK

* * *

**Path of Dappled Light**

4: The Empty Car

Ever since he was little Kaito had always loved heights. There was a thrill to being able to look down and see all the world stretched out beneath his feet—the greatest of audiences and the most expansive of stages. It was the taste of possibility. It was one of the many reasons he loved flying. The mountains therefore were a familiar haunt of his. He'd been to various peaks quite literally all over the world where he could practice his hang-gliding without trailing police cars. He'd been debating how to get Shinichi to join him on one of these outings for some time, but this hadn't been what he'd had in mind.

The three of them, him, Hattori, and Ran, had split up to ask around the town situated at the feet of the mountains to see if anyone had seen Shinichi. The handful of people who remembered having seen the detective in question reported last seeing him on the same day he had left for his meeting. So he either hadn't come down from the mountains yet or hadn't come back through town. Seeing as the only good roads up into the heights all passed through said town the chances of the latter being true were slim.

"It's usually pretty quiet around here," the girl working the counter at the local grocery store told Kaito as she rang up the price for the assortment of drinks and snacks he was purchasing. "I can't remember ever seeing so many unfamiliar faces come through at once! And of course there was that whole car thing my brother won't shut up about. It's almost like we've been overdue for some excitement and it's all coming at once."

"That car thing?" the magician repeated, eyebrows rising.

"Oh yes." The girl's eyes lit up with the excitement of a gossip armed with a particularly juicy rumor. "See, my brother likes to go out hiking every now and then and several days ago he was going up the trails when he says he heard these two loud bangs. He looked up and he swears he saw a car driving down one of the roads higher up the mountain—only there wasn't anyone in it. It was just driving itself but it missed the turn and went off a cliff."

"That certainly is strange. Is he sure the car was empty?"

She rolled her eyes. "If he saw a car at all. Personally, I think he just made it up. It's too dull around here sometimes. But he just keeps insisting that's what he saw. If you want, you can ask him yourself."

"Actually, that would be great."

She gave him a curious look. "You like ghost stories?"

He laughed. "Stories of all kinds really. I'm a performer by trade and inspiration can come from the most unlikely of places."

"I'll have to take your word for it. I've never been very creative myself. Here's your change, and if you want to talk to my brother he should be working the photo-developing station in the back of the store."

"Thanks, you've been a great help." Grinning, he produced a rose from thin air and offered it to her. "Have a good day."

She took the blossom with a look of awe on her face that was still there even as the magician took his leave.

The photo station was a tiny little niche with a counter built into the back of the grocery store. A heavy curtain separated said counter from what was presumably the dark room beyond. A young man was sitting on a chair in the narrow space left between counter and curtain with what looked like the pieces of a disassembled camera spread out before him. He looked up at Kaito's approach and quickly swept the pieces aside and straightened up in a hurried attempt to look professional that had Kaito holding back a laugh.

"How may I help you?" the man inquired. "We can develop your photos for you at either normal or poster size. Any order will be done within a week and if you leave us your phone number and/or email address we will make sure to notify you when you can pick them up. If—"

"Actually, I was just talking to your sister and she said you saw something interesting some days ago," Kaito cut in before the man could expound further on the photo-development department's many services.

"Oh, that!" The man's face broke out in a broad grin as all signs of clerkishness disappeared. "It was the strangest thing I've ever seen." He went on to paint a vivid picture of haunted mountain paths and unwary travelers. Kaito listened carefully, gasping and asking questions at all the right moments, while his mind sifted for any information that might be useful.

"And then it was just falling," the man finished with a dramatic wave of his hands. "Could see the sunset through the windows and everything! And you know what was even weirder? There wasn't any crash! It was all quiet like, like maybe it just disappeared."

"I don't suppose you remember where it was?" Kaito asked, all bright eyes and excitement. "I'd love to get a look at the place myself while I'm in town."

"Oh, here, I got a picture of the place right here." Ducking under the counter, the man rummaged around a bit before coming up with a standard sized photograph and proudly presenting it to the magician. "Only cliff in the mountains that looks like that. Follow the main road up and you can't miss it."

"Oh wow, can I keep this?"

He was answered with a grin. "Sure. I've got lots of copies."

The magician slid the photo into a pocket, bid the man farewell, and made his way out of the shop and towards the small diner where he was supposed to meet Ran and Hattori. He spied both heads of brown hair through the window as he approached. They had found a quiet table in the corner and were looking over the menus. Both turned as he pulled out an empty chair and dropped into it, bag of groceries set on the last unoccupied seat.

"Good thinking," Ran noted, eyeing the bag. "We're going to need food and drinks if we end up having to search the trails. As it is we should eat something now before we go anywhere else."

"Did either of you find anything?" Kaito asked as he accepted a menu from the girl.

"Yeah. It seems we aren't the only ones who've been asking about Kudo," Hattori reported, brows furrowing in mixed bafflement and concern. "This one guy I talked to told me I was the third one to ask him."

"I got some of that too," Ran added. "Do you think maybe the police are looking for him too?"

"I haven't heard anything about it," the Osakan replied. "But I guess it's possible. I know they were thinking about setting up a search. How about you Kuroba? Any news?"

"A few strange tidbits here and there." The magician paused as the waiter came and took their orders. "It turns out one of the guys I talked to saw an empty car drive off a cliff the same day Shinichi passed through here."

"Did he tell you what kind of car it was?"

He shook his head. "He didn't know. Though he did say it was blue."

Ran gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "You don't think—"

"He was also sure the car was empty," Kaito cut in quickly, offering the girl a reassuring smile. "Besides, Shinichi's not the only person in the world who drives a blue car."

"I say we go check this place out," Hattori declared.

"But how can we find the place? There has to be dozens of cliffs around here."

Grinning, Kaito snapped his fingers and the photograph appeared in his upraised hand. "All taken care of. We just need to find the cliff that matches this picture."

"Let me see." Hattori snatched the photo and squinted at it. "Huh…we're gonna have to see this thing from just the right angle, but I guess it's somewhere to start."

"We'll have to wait until tomorrow though," Ran said reluctantly. "It's getting dark. We won't be able to find anything if we went now."

"Then we shall spend the rest of our evening preparing," Kaito announced, vanishing the photo as their food arrived and making the waiter gawk. "We should also see what we can learn about anyone who might be living up there."

X

He sat on the large, flat boulder in the corner of the front garden. The rough, rocky surface was still warm from the day's sunlight and the air was clean and crisp. It was the sky though that really captured his attention. It was so clear tonight that he could pick out every star. And there, in the midst of all their glittering glory, hung the pale, round face of the moon. It was almost full and seeing it filled him with the oddest sensation. It was a mix of calm, contented stillness and the phantom notion that something was missing—that he was supposed to be somewhere else.

"Kochiro?" A hand landed on his shoulder and he looked up to find the stern visage of Kita Itou peering down at him. The man had returned from wherever it was he had spent the day a little over an hour ago and he looked tired. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all. Actually, it's…very peaceful here."

The older man nodded slowly. "The spirits who watch over this valley have always seen to it that we are allowed to live our lives in peace."

"Really…"

_ "Sometimes I think peace is nothing but an illusion."_

_ "Perhaps. But illusions can be real too, all you have to do is let yourself believe."_

"You should come inside," Itou said, pulling him out of his thoughts and the snatch of voices from a time he couldn't quite grasp. "You are still recovering. A cold will do you no good."

"All right… Just give me a few minutes."

As the man went back inside, he leaned back on his hands and turned blue eyes back to the moon. And he found himself wishing that it was full.

X

Ran was heading back to her hotel room after getting herself a can of apple cider when she spotted a familiar figure standing on the balcony that carried the outdoor seats for the hotel's restaurant. She hesitated for only a moment before stepping outside and weaving her way through the assortment of empty chairs and tables to join him by the railing.

"Ran-san," he greeted her without ever turning around (something she would have found slightly creepy had it not happened several times before). "Getting a midnight snack?"

"Yeah. I couldn't sleep," she admitted, popping open her can. "What about you?"

He laughed, indigo eyes glimmering with some sort of private joke. "I'm a night owl. Never needed much sleep."

Ran nodded, taking a sip of her cider as she watched him out of the corner of her eyes. His posture was relaxed and his expression serene, but when she looked really hard she thought she could detect something darker in his eyes that wasn't usually there. And that in itself was strange, she mused. Usually she couldn't read him at all. Not, she thought, that she would have realized even that if it hadn't been for what she'd learned recently.

Not for the first time she wondered just how close he and Shinichi really were. She knew they spent a lot of time together these days—really it had been a relief to see her friend being at least a little more social—and it hadn't occurred to her at first to question how Shinichi could suddenly have such a good friend she'd never heard of. After all, from what she'd been able to learn, the two had met while Shinichi had been on his case, so it shouldn't be strange that she'd never heard of Kaito before. But then Shinichi had finally told her exactly where he'd been (right there, it turned out. She'd almost excommunicated him for a while for that but after seeing the pained look on his face as he kept apologizing she just couldn't do it). So then where _had_ he met Kaito? Surely she should have seen him around. That was when she'd started watching him more closely and realized that, no matter how open he seemed, he never let his thoughts show.

Well, it probably didn't matter. Kaito was definitely a good person—unlike most of the people Shinichi tended to run into, especially while on a case—and his being around made her feel oddly like she could worry less about Shinichi. Why, she didn't know, but she'd always trusted her instincts.

"I think I'm going to go see if I can sleep now," she said finally, stepping away from the balcony railing. "Will you be staying out here?"

"For now. Have a good night, Ran-san."

"Good night."

**TBC**

* * *

**A.N**: I am now sick. -_- It is not fun. Take care, everyone.


	5. The Second Party

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK

* * *

**Path of Dappled Light**

5: The Second Party

The morning sun flooded down the mountainside in soft, golden waves, making the single car creeping up the road glitter like some kind of gemstone. Every so often the car would pull to the side of the road and its occupants would get out, peering carefully at their surroundings from as many angles as they could safely reach before continuing on their way.

"It's all starting to look the same," Hattori grumbled as he squinted at yet another nondescript cliff. "You sure this guy said we'd be able to see it from the road?"

"Of course I'm sure," Kaito replied, slightly affronted by the implication that he could have made such a careless mistake.

"At this rate we're going to have to camp out tonight."

"Have a little patience Hattori-kun," Ran sighed, wishing Kazuha was there to deal with the increasingly impatient Osakan detective. Honestly. A quiet sigh escaped her lips as she turned to stare out the car window at the scenery inching by. She would have closed her eyes but she didn't dare lest it mean missing something. Maybe she should go a little easier on the dark-skinned detective. It wasn't as though she couldn't understand his frustration.

The car came to another stop and they all climbed out once again. There was certainly no lack of cliffs in sight, Ran thought wearily. The problem was that they were all starting to look the same to her.

"There!" Kaito exclaimed suddenly, making both his companions jump. "See these cracks in the cliff in the photo that look like a frowning face? Well, if you look carefully you can see the same face on that cliff. We just need to go another, hmm, five hundred meters or so, I think, to get the right angle."

His declaration was met by a long moment of silence.

"I can't say I see the face," Hattori said dubiously, "but the general shape does look kind of similar."

"What are we waiting for then?" Ran demanded. "It's the first lead we've gotten all day. We need to get over there."

The driving went a lot smoother now that they had a sort of goal in mind. The problem was that no matter how they tried to pick the paths they took to get closer to the cliff in question they just couldn't seem to reach it. Finally Hattori parked the car again and turned off the engine.

"We're gonna have to walk."

It took nearly two hours of trekking through rugged, forested terrain for them to reach the cliff in question. Arriving near its base, they discovered themselves standing on the edge of a deep ravine. It fell away sharply at their feet and rose again on the other side to become the very geological formation they had spent all day hunting down.

"It's no wonder the guy didn't hear the crash," Hattori remarked, voice tense as he stared up the looming cliff face. "It's a lot farther away from the road he was using than it looks."

"Is…" Ran paused for a moment to swallow with a suddenly dry throat. "Is there…anything down there?"

"Yes, there is."

The absolute seriousness was so alien in Kaito's voice that it took Ran a moment to recognize it. Then she couldn't stop herself anymore and her eyes dropped to peer down into the ravine.

The pieces of what once had been a car had been strewn all over the ravine. The vehicle must have been going at quite some speed and hit almost every protrusion of rock along the way only to meet its final, crushing demise at the hands of the jagged boulders who ruled the ravine floor.

For a long moment none of them spoke. They simply stood and gazed down upon the wreck. It was Hattori who finally spoke, his voice cracking slightly.

"We need to find the license plate. See if…" He trailed off. They had to see if it had been Shinichi's car. They had to see if Shinichi might have been in the car. But he was sure his companions knew that as well as he did and he just couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.

"We can call the police," Ran suggested. "They might be able to get a helicopter here. And we should tell them about this anyway."

Hattori nodded and pulled out his cell phone only to curse. "Damn, there's no reception up here."

"I'll go then."

Two heads turned to find Kaito holding a long coil of rope that he certainly hadn't had when they had left the car. For his part, Kaito just silently thanked whatever powers were listening that the shoulder injury he'd received in the final showdown with the Black Organization had finished healing long enough ago for him to be back to full, working fitness. Securing his rope around a sturdy tree that grew right on the edge of the ravine, he stepped easily back over the lip and began walking himself backwards down the rock face, letting out the rope as he went. In a matter of minutes he was on the ravine floor and searching amongst the debris. Behind him he could hear what he was pretty sure was the other two coming down the rope after him at a much slower pace.

He found what he was looking for stuck in a crack between two rocks, wedged in so tightly that he had to throw all his weight into yanking it out. It gave with a metal screech of protest and he found himself holding the bent and heavily scratched license plate of a car. He flipped it over, indigo eyes skimming the numbers quickly. His grip tightened on the cold metal.

"Hey, you find something?" Hattori demanded, scrambling over some boulders to come up beside him. Kaito handed him the license plate.

Hattori took one look at it and swore vehemently. "So it _was_ Kudo's car after all."

"But there was no one in it, right?" Ran turned her own gaze to the main body of the wreck. Part of her wanted to turn away, but the rest needed to make sure for herself that her friend wasn't there. Funny how she was hoping not to find him at the moment. "I—don't see anything that could be, you know…"

"No, it was definitely empty," Hattori assured her, praying that he wasn't lying. "But I think we have another problem. Look at this tire. I'd say it was shot out."

"Let's get back to the car and go see the hermit who _really_ lives up there," Kaito suggested, already walking towards the rope still dangling down the ravine wall. His companions had to scramble to keep up with him but he couldn't slow down. He had to keep moving—keep doing things, because if he didn't have something productive to focus on he'd have to think about the fact that they might be chasing mist.

The rest of the drive up to the location where the reclusive not-client (a.k.a. the only man actually living up there to whom Shinichi may have paid a visit) was supposed to live was tense and silent. Having been expecting something like a cabin, Hattori did a double take when they rounded the last bend and found themselves pulling up in front of a western style mansion. His eyes flew automatically to the directions he'd been following, wondering if he'd taken a wrong turn somewhere, but no, he'd followed the instructions to the letter. And there wasn't supposed to be anyone else living up here anyway.

"Must have been one rich hermit, eh?" Kaito asked, reading the surprise in both the detective and Ran's faces.

"Maybe Shinichi's still here," Ran said hopefully, following the two boys out of the car and up to the front door.

Neither of the others voiced the thought that that wasn't very likely considering what they'd discovered at the car crash. A quick search revealed the absence of a doorbell so Hattori reached up to grasp the heavy, brass knocker. However the door swung open at his touch, creaking ever so softly and sending a chill down all their spines.

"I'm liking this less and less by the second," the Osakan detective muttered as he shoved the door the rest of the way open and stepped inside. "Hello?! Is anyone there?!"

There was no response. Behind him, the other two members of the search party surveyed the entrance hall. It was fairly large and looked to have been fairly well kept. There was quite a bit of dust, but not enough to indicate long term abandonment. When Ran found the light switch for the hall chandelier it also became clear that the electricity in the house was still running.

Yet the place still seemed to be deserted. They called out a few more times and still received no answer. No lights other than those they had touched were on either.

"Man it's going to take forever to search this place," Heiji groaned. "But I guess at least we'll have a roof over our heads for the night."

"Personally I may prefer to spend the night in the car," Kaito murmured, sharp eyes flickering from shadow to shadow. Something about this place didn't feel right to him. And he'd always had very good instincts.

Ran opened her mouth to second the magician's statement when all three of them halted abruptly. There, just beyond hearing range but coming rapidly closer, was the sound of footsteps. Almost instinctively they moved so that they were each facing a different direction. Then a door almost directly in front of Heiji swung open and a figure stepped out of it, nearly crashing into the dark-skinned detective.

"Hakuba?!" Hattori exclaimed, expression torn between shock and outrage. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

X

Blue eyes stared blankly up at the shadow shrouded ceiling. He was having those dreams again… Closing his eyes, he concentrated, trying to remember exactly what had happened.

_ A small, nondescript pill lay in a child's open palm. For something so small, it had a weight far beyond anything any physical scale could measure. A quiet breath puffed through the still air as he moved to draw it closer, but another hand was faster._

"_I know what this does to you. Why are you taking it when you don't have to?"_

"_I could die next week. I want to be me just one more time before that. No lying, no hiding…just—just one day."_

_ There was a long moment of silence. Then suddenly gloved hands moved up and the top hat was swept off and the monocle removed._

_ "K—KID! What are you—"_

_ "One day with no lies," the other said, cutting him off. "I think I'd like that too."_

_ "KID…"_

_ "Kuroba Kaito. Call me Kaito."_

_ Steady, indigo eyes—eyes which were, for the first time, both clearly visible despite the thin veil of shadows all around them—held his gaze and he couldn't look away._

It was those eyes. Everything else from the dream surfaced before slipping and fading away like so much water through spread fingers, but the eyes stayed. Yet no matter how hard he tried he couldn't seem to recall the face that went with them.

**TBC**

* * *

**A.N**: Well, I'm feeling better now except for the coughing. ^_^ Hope you all are feeling well. See you next time!


	6. Behind the Mirage

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK

* * *

**Path of Dappled Light**

6: Behind the Mirage

"So it seems we have all arrived on the same errand," Hakuba Saguru remarked as he leaned back in his chair. The four of them were seated in the mansion's kitchen where they'd doled out some of the snacks they'd brought up the mountain with them. "What I do not understand is why you are here, Kuroba."

"Ah well, remember when I spent those two weeks in Osaka a few months back? I ran into Hattori-kun there and he introduced me to this charming young lady and the detective from the papers," the magician lied cheerfully. "When I heard Hattori-kun was coming into town I thought I'd say hello, then he told me they were heading out to the mountains on this little search expedition. It sounded interesting so I tagged along." He watched in amusement as Hakuba struggled to figure out if he was telling the truth or not. It was nice to be unpredictable.

"So you find the owner of the house yet?" Hattori cut in, dragging the conversation back to the matter at hand.

The other detective nodded, his expression growing grim. "Although I am only assuming that he was the owner."

"Was?"

"He's dead—single shot to the back of the head. As far as I can tell, he has been dead for several days. The phone lines have all been cut and, as I am sure you have already noticed, there is no reception here."

"So Kudo must've found the body," Hattori surmised, frowning in thought. "In which case he should've headed back to town to inform the police."

"Couldn't he have gone after the shooter?" Ran asked, blue eyes darkening with concern. She knew too well by now how her old friend couldn't seem to resist chasing after criminals even when they were armed.

"But then he wouldn't have taken the car, right?" Kaito pointed out. "Someone caught by surprise would've run, and somehow I don't think they would be thoughtful and use the road."

"But Shinichi's car was empty when it—went over…" Ran couldn't quite bring herself to finish the sentence.

"You found Kudo-san's car?" Hakuba inquired, intrigued. "I did wonder where it had gone."

"Over a cliff, it turns out," Hattori informed him. Green eyes grew distant as the corners of his mouth turned down. "It went off the road about a third of the way back to town from here. I'm pretty sure there wasn't anyone in it though, so he must've gotten out before it went over." Or at least that was what they all hoped.

"Could he have been thrown out of the vehicle?" the blonde inquired.

"We don't know," the Osakan replied stiffly. "I was thinking we could check the area."

The blonde nodded, casting a covert glance towards Kaito. The magician had been unusually quiet. He had learned to be wary over the years whenever Kuroba was quiet. But there seemed to be something…different about Kuroba today. He couldn't put his finger on what it was though. Then again, this _was_ Kuroba, he was probably better off not knowing.

"Why weren't you surprised to see _him_ here?" Hattori asked Kaito, sounding rather disgruntled as they made their way back outside. Hakuba, the 'him' in question, had left them temporarily to retrieve some of his things from where he'd left them when he conducted his examination of the mansion.

"Because I was pretty sure he'd make his way here sooner or later," the magician replied with a shrug.

"Well you could've warned me," the Osakan complained.

Ran gave him a puzzled look. "What's wrong with Hakuba-san?"

"What _isn't_?"

"I think he seems nice," she replied a touch uncertainly.

Kaito let out a snort of laughter that made the other two stare. "I was just thinking I would have chosen a slightly different word," he said by way of explanation (like Nosy, or Nuisance). The other two still looked confused, but they were interrupted by the sight of a tall, dark haired man with a thin mustache and narrow, gray eyes rounding the far corner of the mansion.

Hattori tensed. "Who're you?"

"He's my guide," Hakuba stated, appearing from behind the man.

"My name is Makoto Seiji," the man introduced himself with a polite bow. "I have hiked the trails in these mountains for many years. Some of them can be very treacherous, but if your friend is out there, I will do what I can to help you find him."

Ran smiled at him. "Thank you, we would appreciate the help."

X

He remembered a woman with auburn hair that formed large curls around her face. His mother, he thought. He hadn't seen her for a long time, but he couldn't remember why.

There were so many bits and pieces. Images of people, places, snatches of voices… He felt a little like someone watching jigsaw puzzle pieces being poured onto a table. He knew they would eventually come together, but he didn't know how they fit yet or what was coming, except, perhaps, that he had to be patient.

In the meantime, this place was such a peaceful place. Much more so than he was used to, he knew (whatever that meant).

Still, he couldn't help but feel restless at times. He wanted…to be _doing_ something. Going home, though he wasn't sure exactly where that was yet. That sense of longing was strongest whenever he saw the roses in Mizumi-san's garden or watched the moon rise.

X

They had found the cliff from which the car had fallen. Looking over the edge made Ran's stomach turn over, but at least they were all fairly sure that Shinichi hadn't gone over the edge. They had spent a few hours scouring the woods alongside the road until Heiji had spotted the fallen bridge. It had fallen apart recently, he'd said, at which point everyone's eyes were magnetically dragged to the ravine below where they could all hear the rushing roar of a river. Now they were searching downstream, half hopeful and half dreading what they might find.

"Damnit it's like he just vanished off the face of the planet!" Hattori said finally with a frustrated huff.

"Perhaps we are looking in the wrong place," Hakuba mused. "Or it may even be possible that Kudo-san hid his trail."

Ran frowned. "But why would he do that?"

"To throw off a pursuer," the blonde suggested. "Whoever called him here, for instance. Perhaps he believed they knew he had escaped the car before it crashed."

They fell silent at that, each lost in their own thoughts. Kaito ignored the three, silently scoffing at what he felt was a rather useless conversation. His time would be much better spent by taking another look around for anything they might have missed.

"Any luck?" Ran called out to him where he was now walking carefully along the edge of the drop off.

"I think I see a path," Kaito said slowly, squinting down into the valley. "There, just below the mist."

"Mist?" Makoto Seiji repeated, frowning as he and the others picked their way through the rocks towards him. "I saw no mist. And there should not be a path. I have been through this valley before and there was no such thing."

"Could it be new?" Ran suggested.

The man cast her a derisive look. "Only if you are suggesting that someone came and cut a path through the valley rocks some time in the fifteen minutes since I last looked."

The girl flushed in embarrassment. "Oh."

"Maybe you just missed it," Hattori countered. Stepping up next to Kaito, he too peered down into the valley. "Hey, I see it too. It's definitely a path."

"Indeed," Hakuba murmured, casting a speculative look at his guide. "Perhaps you simply never noticed its presence?"

The man in question stared down into the valley for a long moment. It seemed to the others as though he either couldn't believe his eyes or didn't want to admit he'd been wrong. Finally he shrugged a bit stiffly. "I suppose it is possible."

"Do you know what lies in that direction?" the blonde inquired.

"Last I looked, just a strip of forest then some impossible cliffs. Although you only have my word for it," he added testily. It seemed his ego had been wounded.

"I can definitely see a path," Kaito reiterated with absolute certainty. "I'm going to check it out." He disappeared over the edge of the ravine without waiting for an answer.

"I'll go too," Hattori decided. "It's gotta be better than standing around here."

"We'll all go then," Hakuba declared. "If Kuroba really has found a path, then we should find out where it leads."

Their guide scoffed but he trailed after them anyway as they made their way after the departed magician.

Not having Kaito's expert climbing skills, it took the rest of the search party much longer to get down to the ravine floor than Kaito would have liked. It took them even longer to ford the river, but luckily the waters in this area were shallow enough for it to be done at all. The soft fog that he had spotted from above was much more palpable now that they were on its level. Even so, he could still make out the path that had caught his attention. He was sure now that it was a path and not just some kind of deer trail. By now even Makoto couldn't argue its existence, though he was giving it a distinctly uncomprehending look like he still couldn't bring himself to believe in its existence.

By general consensus they decided to follow the trail. They still had sufficient sunlight for another few hours of searching after all and this was the closest thing to a lead they had gotten so far.

All around them the mist was growing steadily thicker. Progress slowed to a crawl as each of them carefully tested the ground before their feet at each step before shifting their weight. Wrapped in that ethereal whiteness, time itself seemed to shift, stretching out and wrapping around them so that no one was really sure how long they had been walking in its midst.

Every now and then the shadow of some rocky outcropping or tree would loom out of the whiteness before disappearing again as silent as it had come. They almost didn't seem real. It occurred to each of them at some point that they could walk right by the person they were looking for in this fog and never even know it, but they couldn't well sit around and wait for it to dissipate either. And, well, the path was still clear enough to follow. The least they could do was learn where it was headed.

It was when the largest, rocky shade materialized before them that they finally encountered a sign of life.

"Halt!" The cry came out of the fog, clear yet disembodied by the fog. "You are trespassing! Who are you and why have you come here?"

The search party tossed glances between themselves before Kaito cleared his throat.

"We're looking for a friend of ours who may have gotten lost in this direction recently," he said, projecting his voice and making sure to enunciate every word clearly. "We did not mean to invade your lands, but we would appreciate it if you could tell us where it is we are and if you have seen him. His name is Kudo Shinichi."

"No one claiming that name has passed this way," the faceless voice replied. "Not many travelers pass this way."

"Then have you had any visitors in the last few weeks?"

Something shifted in the whiteness and everyone tensed as a figure emerged from amidst the rocky, gray shapes. A few moments later the figure resolved itself into a man carrying a crossbow. All five pairs of search party eyes zeroed in on the weapon before rising to the man's face.

"I am not aware of any visitors," the man said sternly as he came to a stop directly in the middle of their forward path. "But I am new to this post."

"Then do you know anyone we might be able to talk to who would know?" Ran interjected, stepping forward. "Please. We just want to find our friend. We're sorry if we're trespassing, but he's been gone for days and we've already looked everywhere else."

The bowman stood still for several long moments, apparently thinking over their request. Finally he nodded and turned, gesturing for them to follow him. "This way. Watch your step. The path here can be treacherous."

X

It was, Kaito reflected, really a very strange village that the bowman had brought them to. He had slipped away from the group once he was sure he knew where they were headed (it wasn't hard. There were only so many buildings in this place) to take a quick look around the village for himself. It was almost like they had walked back in time. There were no electrical appliances. Everything appeared to be made from wood, clay, or stone. The only metal he saw was on a handful of tools and there was no plastic anywhere. His clothes were earning him curious looks from everyone he passed, but no one approached him. He was just beginning to entertain the idea of striking up a conversation with one of the many people sneaking looks at him when he caught a glimpse of black out of the corner of his eye.

He spun towards it immediately.

It was that cowlick—he would recognize it anywhere. His pace picked up almost without conscious direction from his mind as he called out.

"Shinichi!"

The person ahead of him faltered in his steps and Kaito reached out. Catching the other's shoulders, he spun the shorter boy around. "Shinichi!"

Blue eyes met his and froze in surprise. Those eyes—indigo eyes. They were so familiar…

"Do I…know you?" he asked hesitantly. He hadn't seen this young man in the village before, and he wasn't dressed like the villagers either, and yet he just had this _feeling_ that this wasn't a stranger. His pulse quickened. Was it excitement? Anxiety? He wasn't sure.

For his part however, Kaito felt like the ground had disappeared from under him and he had only just discovered that he'd forgotten to pack his glider. For a moment he wondered if he was wrong and this wasn't Shinichi after all. But no, he couldn't be wrong. The way this person moved, the way he held himself, the sound of his voice, those eyes—it was definitely Shinichi.

His grip on the smaller boy's shoulders tightened. He was going to get to the bottom of this (and then someone was going to be very, very sorry for—whatever they had done to his detective).

**TBC**

* * *

**A.N**: And they finally meet again! ^_^ On a side note, I just put up a new music video. For anyone who likes that kind of thing, you can see it at:

(youtube URL) /watch? V = 86hEVGzABYc

I'll also put the link on my profile. See you next time!


	7. New Faces, Old Friends

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK

* * *

**Path of Dappled Light**

7: New Faces, Old Friends

_Shinichi._

The sound of that name sent a jolt down his spine. It was so familiar. That was—was that his name? It was. The excitement that that knowledge inspired in him, however, paled to the feeling that had risen at the sight of those indigo eyes.

He knew those eyes. He'd seen them in his dreams. And now he finally had a face to go with them.

That expression though… It felt wrong in those eyes and it made his stomach twist with guilt because he thought he might be the cause of it even though he didn't know why.

"You don't recognize me?" the newcomer asked slowly in the manner of someone picking his words with great care. There was a tightly controlled air about him like a bowstring drawn taught. It made the blue-eyed teen a little nervous.

"I'm sorry. I was in an accident," he explained, deciding it was best to be blunt. "I don't remember what happened."

The newcomer considered this for a moment, his painfully strong grip on the other's shoulders relaxing slightly. "In that case, tell me what you remember."

X

"So you don't remember _anything_?"

"Bits and pieces," Shinichi admitted. "It'll come back," he added, tone growing more confident. Then he paused, giving Kaito a slightly sheepish smile. "Um, I didn't catch your name."

Indigo eyes stared at him a moment longer before their owner seemed to come to a decision. Then he stepped back and swept into a deep, showman's bow.

"Kuroba Kaito, soon to be the world's best magician," he declared. "But you can call me Kaito." Straightening, he produced a white rose with a flourish and offered it to Shinichi. His sharp eyes picked out the way the smaller teen started at the sight of the rose. It was good to know that those bits and pieces included bits and pieces about him. He waited patiently as Shinichi examined the rose before taking it gingerly as though the bloom was made of spun glass. The small, wondering smile that spread across his detective's face then made the tight knot of anger and fear that had been building in his chest since he'd seen the car wreck begin to ease.

They weren't out of the woods yet as far as problems were concerned, but he'd found Shinichi, and that was the important thing. Everything else could be dealt with at length now that he was sure his detective was alive and safely in his custody (where he was going to stay for a long, long time if Kaito had anything to say about it—which he would).

"Do you think the family you've been staying with would mind if I paid them a visit?" he asked, pulling Shinichi's attention off the rose and back to himself.

"They wouldn't mind," the detective assured him. "They're both very kind people. Did you want to go now?"

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble for them, yes."

"Itou-san is out, but Mizumi-san should be at home."

He followed Shinichi through the village streets, eyes carefully tracing every inch of him in search of additional signs of injury or ill health as he listened to the detective introducing the people and places they passed. Almost everyone they passed greeted Shinichi with a smile or a wave. They called him "Kochiro" though, Kaito observed. It didn't take long for them to reach a small, cozy looking house with a neatly groomed garden. Shinichi turned onto the front path and made his way to the door with the easy familiarity of someone returning to—if not a home, then at least a place he had grown accustomed to treating as such.

"Mizumi-san," he called as he opened the door (no lock, Kaito noted). "We have a guest."

"Really? Who is it?" a woman's voice inquired shortly before the speaker herself stepped out of one of the inner rooms and into view. She blinked at Kaito in surprise. "Why, I've never seen you before."

"I only just got here," Kaito explained, stepping forward. "My name is Kuroba Kaito. I came with a few others in search of my friend here." He gestured to Shinichi. "I hear he's been staying with you. Thank you for looking after him."

The woman looked him over then smiled. "It was no trouble. We've enjoyed having him here. I must say, I will be sorry to see him go."

"Well, we're not leaving yet," the magician replied, flashing a brief grin before his expression grew serious. "I was wondering though, if you could tell me more about the circumstances under which you found Shinichi."

"Shinichi…" Mizumi murmured quietly to herself, testing the name. Then she nodded and gestured both youths towards the kitchen. "Come have a seat. I'll make some tea."

"I can do that," Shinichi offered, but the woman waved him away.

"No, no, sit with your friend. This will only take a minute."

A few minutes later the three of them were seated at the Kitas' kitchen table. Mizumi poured them each a steaming cup of tea. As she placed Shinichi's cup before him, she noticed that there was a white rose lying on the table by his hand. Strange. It didn't look like one of hers. Besides, Kochiro (or rather Shinichi, she reminded herself. That would take a little getting used to, though she was glad to finally know the boy's real name) wouldn't have picked it. Someone must have given it to him. The fact that it had been shorn of thorns only added to her certainty. Her gaze slid to the newcomer, wondering if it had been him.

He had a very nice smile, she mused. Bright and open with a touch of mischief. But there was a hint of darkness in there too lurking just behind his eyes, like he had seen many things and knew many secrets—like he'd walked with danger and knew all too well how to deal with it. He had the eyes of one who hunted shadows in the dark, though he hid it well behind the façade of careless cheer. It didn't, however, strike her as a malicious deception. There was real warmth in that smile and honest care for the friend he had come all this way to find.

"So you wished to know how we found Ko—Shinichi?" she inquired, pouring her own cup of tea before setting the teapot on its tray.

Kaito nodded. "I was hoping to get a better picture of what happened."

"I understand. Although I'm afraid we don't know very much either." Mizumi paused to take a sip of her tea as her gaze grew distant. "My brother had a premonition that morning. He told me we had to take a walk by the river."

"Premonition?" Shinichi repeated, surprised. This was the first he'd heard of such a thing.

The woman smiled faintly as she nodded. "Yes. I suppose it sounds strange to you, but here we have always believed that the spirits watch over us. My brother is one of many who have been able to communicate with them."

"You mean he can _talk_ to spirits?" Kaito asked, one eyebrow rising. He liked to think of himself as an open-minded person, but being a master of manipulating reality to make others believe in the impossible taught you that many of the most inexplicable things had very simple explanations. Years of acquaintanceship with multiple detectives didn't do anything to contradict that notion.

"Talk is perhaps not the best word, but in a sense, yes." She laughed at the expressions on their faces. "You can choose to believe it or not, but they have always guided us well. In any case, if it weren't for my brother's insistence, we would not have gone down to that particular stretch of the river bank when we did, and then it may have been a long time before anyone found Shinichi here."

Well, neither teen was going to argue with that. As far as Kaito was concerned, it didn't matter why the Kita siblings had been down at that part of the river at that time, all that mattered was that they had been. "Did you see anyone else there? Or hear anything?"

Mizumi considered the question for several minutes before she shook her head. "I didn't see anyone, and the sound of the river would have eclipsed most sounds. There were a few pieces of old planking that washed up on shore as well though. I thought they might have been from that old bridge up river that no one uses anymore."

"We saw that bridge," the magician recalled. So they had probably been right when they'd guessed Shinichi had fallen with it. While all this was interesting, it didn't tell him what he really wanted to know—who had been responsible and whether or not he, she, or they were still around. It was a little frustrating at times how good his detective was at making enemies, but he supposed that was just what happened when you dedicated your life to putting killers in jail (they generally didn't appreciate it, and, well, they were already people who'd made the decision that killing was a viable option when it came to people they didn't like. Okay, Kaito would admit that he had quite a few enemies too, but that was precisely why he knew how dangerous it could be. And, unlike a thief, being a detective meant people had to be able to contact you when they needed help and therefore everyone knew where you lived or could find out with very little difficulty). "By the way, have you had any other visitors since you found Shinichi?"

"None other than yourselves. It is quite unusual for us to have any visitors at all actually," Mizumi mused. "It is quite extraordinary that we have had so many in such a short span of time. This isn't an easy place to find. Would you like more tea?"

"Ah, thank you."

Shinichi listened to the other two talk as he nursed his own tea. Questions were whirling through his head—there were so many things he wanted to know and he finally had someone to ask—but he didn't know where to begin. He couldn't help but notice from the magician's line of questioning that Kaito seemed to think there should be someone else around. Someone responsible for Shinichi's own fall into the river maybe? Or could it be someone he'd been traveling with? No, the first option sounded more viable. If it had been a simple companion, Kaito would have asked him first and his questions now wouldn't be so circular. Did this mean he was in some kind of trouble? That was a bit of a disconcerting thought.

Blue eyes wandered back to Kaito. Ever since he'd met the magician, he'd felt a strange mix of relief and happiness. At the same time though, it made him feel a bit depressed. This person was important to him but he couldn't remember why or how. He'd kind of hoped that everything would just click back into place if he could just grasp on to a few solid pieces like his name.

It was disheartening to realize that it wasn't going to be that simple.

"Shinichi?"

Coming out of his thoughts at the sound of his name, he looked up to find that Kaito had already gotten to his feet. "Yes?"

"Would you like to meet the others? I think it's about time we let them know you're here."

"Oh, right." He'd completely forgotten that Kaito had mentioned that he hadn't come alone. Setting his cup down, he hurried to his feet then hesitated, turning to Mizumi. "Um, I…" He faltered, uncertain. He wanted to thank her for everything, but a simple "thank you" felt inadequate. He had known from the beginning that he wouldn't be staying here, even if he had occasionally entertained the idea, but until today it had felt like something he wouldn't have to really think about for a while yet. Now though…

The soft smile on Mizumi's face suggested to him that she could guess his thoughts even without his saying a word. "Go on," she said encouragingly. "But don't forget to come back and say goodbye before you go. If you need to, you and your friends are welcome to stay the night here."

X

Ran, Hattori, Hakuba, and Makoto Seiji were seated around the large table in what served as the village's meeting hall with an elderly man Kaito assumed was the village head. All five of them looked around as he stepped in through the open doorway.

"Look who I found wandering around the village," he announced as he did so, pulling Shinichi into the room. Gently propelling the detective in front of him, he set both hands on Shinichi's shoulders and looked at the shocked faces scattered about the room.

"Shinichi!" Ran exclaimed, relief flooding across her face.

"Kudo!" Hattori gasped at exactly the same moment, echoed much more quietly by Hakuba. "Don't tell me you've been here this whole time!"

Shinichi blinked back at them, at a bit of a loss for words. He had the feeling that he was supposed to know these people—they obviously knew him, but that was about as far as his current knowledge went. Kaito had been telling him about these people on their way here from the Kitas' house so he had a pretty good idea of their names. The magician was great at describing people—he knew everything from little mannerisms most people wouldn't even notice to hobbies, skills, interests, and more. He had even given Shinichi a sample of each of their voices and speech patterns by mimicking them with what Shinichi now knew was perfect accuracy, and he knew so much biographical information about them all that it bordered on creepy. But that was a peculiarity to ponder at a different time. From the way the pseudo strangers were looking at him though, they were probably expecting some kind of explanation. Unfortunately, he couldn't really give them that. As the seconds ticked by, he could see the confusion in their faces growing.

"Let me explain," said Kaito, squeezing Shinichi's shoulders reassuringly as he steered the smaller teen to an open seat at the table before sitting down in the seat right beside him.

It took rather a lot longer to explain the situation than Shinichi had originally thought it would. Mostly, it was because the one called Hattori kept interrupting with exclamations of "What?!", at which point the blond one would berate him for interrupting or make a comment about his hearing or understanding of the human language, and then the two would start to bicker like an old married couple. It was actually quite funny until it got annoying.

"Why do they do that?" he whispered to Kaito as another argument started up and Ran tried to intervene.

The magician shrugged. "Not sure. I've never seen them in the same place before. If I'd known it was going to be like this, I would've brought a video camera. And some popcorn," he added as an afterthought. Seeing the incredulous look on his detective's face, he smirked. "Hey, it's free entertainment."

"You're weird," Shinichi informed him, sounding an odd cross between perplexed and prim.

"So I've been told," Kaito replied cheerfully. "Judging from the looks of the sky outside, I'd say we're probably going to have to take Mizumi-san up on her offer."

Shinichi nodded. "It wouldn't be safe to try and traverse the mountains in the dark. I'm not sure there's enough room at the Kitas' for four more though."

That was fine by Kaito, though he didn't say it out loud. It would give him some time with Shinichi without interference from the others. "Well, there seems to be some room here. We can ask the headman about it."

"That's true." The detective brightened, problem solved. "He'll say yes. Everyone here is very kind."

There was something in the way he said those words that gave Kaito a moment's pause. But Ran chose that moment to slam her hands down on the table and he shelved the thought for later as he turned back to the scene across the table where both Hattori and Hakuba were cowering under the girl's irritated glare.

"You're acting like children!" she scolded. "You're both good detectives. You should know that. What does it matter whose methods are better?!"

The detectives in question seemed to be too afraid to answer. Both their eyes were glued to the thin crack that had appeared in the table when Ran had brought her hands down. In the ensuing silence, Kaito whistled.

**TBC**

* * *

**A.N**: I'm going to be gone for a few weeks, so I decided to try and get this chapter up before I left. I hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you all when I get back! ^_^


	8. Danger

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK

* * *

**Path of Dappled Light**

8: Danger

It had taken some calculated maneuvering, but Kaito had managed to arrange it so that he was the only one who returned to the Kitas' house with Shinichi. The others wanted to visit, but they would come in the morning. Ran had been given her own room in the headman's house and the two detectives and their guide were situated in the hall. Hattori was still a little hazy about how these arrangements had been made. The last place he wanted to spend the night was under the same roof as Hakuba—and he was almost positive that this was one point upon which the two of them could agree. Hakuba, however, refused to spend the night under the same roof as Kuroba. It was clear from the beginning that Ran would get the single room. Therefore, the most logical arrangement would probably have been to send Hakuba with Kudo. Or it could've worked the other way and he and Kuroba could have gone with Kudo and tried to jog his memories. At least that was what Hattori would have concluded.

So why was it that he was now helping the blonde and Makoto set up blankets and whatnot on the meeting hall floor?

That, however, was one question the Osakan detective would not be finding the answer to.

The stroll back through the village was a peaceful one for Kaito and Shinichi. There were very few people still out on the streets and the only lights were the ones that glowed from inside the houses. Once again, Kaito marveled at the simplicity of the place. Like a place out of time. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Shinichi. Here in the midst of this tranquil realm, cradled by the mountains and blanketed by the open skies, the detective looked…different. Not like a different person or anything, just like the marks of time and worry had been stripped away to reveal the spirit underneath, relaxed and happy and innocent.

Like an angel, the magician thought with amusement. It had been a while since he'd last seen his detective looking so peaceful while awake. It would have been rather a nice moment if he hadn't known the reality of the situation. Silently, he promised himself that when this was all over he'd take Shinichi somewhere far away for a while. Just the two of them. Maybe they should go to London. Shinichi would enjoy that and Kaito had seen a piece on the news the other day about a jewelry exhibit that he remembered thinking it could be worth taking a look into.

Kaito paused at the door to the Kitas' house, realizing that Shinichi wasn't beside him. He turned around.

Shinichi had stopped in the middle of the yard. He was turned in the direction of the rest of the village, looking up at the stars glittering in the night sky framed by the jagged peaks of the mountains. The moon had begun to wane but it was still bright enough to trace the world with silver.

"Shinichi?" he called softly when the detective continued to remain motionless as a person entranced.

"I'm going to miss this place…"

The magician moved to stand beside him, steps silent as the shadows around them. "Do you want to stay longer?"

Slowly, Shinichi shook his head. "I don't really belong here."

Kaito couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him at that. "I must admit I'm glad to hear that."

"What?" Blue eyes turned to him filled with confusion.

"Nothing, nothing." Draping an arm over the smaller boy's shoulders, Kaito steered them back towards the house. "Come on, we should let Mizumi-san know we're here."

X

"I'm sorry about this. I should have remembered we hadn't washed the spare blankets yet."

Kaito laughed. "It's not a problem. I don't mind sharing with you. Or do I make you uncomfortable?"

Shinichi blushed. "N—no, you don't. It was just—I just thought, well, I mean the bed is kind of small, it's not going to be very comfortable for two."

The magician was of a vastly different opinion, but he refrained from commenting for once. While he very much liked making Shinichi blush, there were certain things he felt it would be better to let the detective remember on his own. So he just shrugged.

"It'll be fine. It's not like either of us has any contagious diseases that need to be kept to ourselves."

Shinichi blinked then laughed, sounding a touch surprised. "I suppose that's true."

"Of course. Now go on, we have a lot to do tomorrow." Kaito herded his companion onto the bed before slipping under the covers himself. "Good night."

"Good night."

Despite the knowledge that tomorrow was going to be a long day, Shinichi found himself unable to reach the shores of sleep. Instead he stared at the wall before his face as he listened to the magician's even breathing behind him. He had spent days feeling lost, not knowing how long it would be before he could piece his memories back together, but in the blink of an eye everything had changed.

He was going home. Part of him was thrilled, but the rest of him couldn't help but quiver with nervousness. He was afraid… Afraid that, even after getting home, he wouldn't remember. What if the memories never came back? The thought sent a chill through him that seeped into his very bones. He couldn't exactly go back to a life he didn't remember. What would happen to him then?

His thoughts turned back to Kaito and the others. They had come here looking for him, but was it really _him_ they were looking for? All five of them looked familiar to him to varying degrees, but he couldn't actually claim to _know_ them. Not yet. So what did that make him in regards to the person they had come for? It was a bizarre and confusing puzzle that made his stomach twist uncomfortably.

Lost in thought, he nearly jumped out of his skin when an arm wrapped itself around his waist from behind and tugged him back against his companion's chest. Heat flared in his face and he squeaked, "Kaito?"

No answer. The magician's breathing remained slow and even. So he was asleep.

Shinichi wondered if he should try to wake him but in the end he decided against it. From the sound of their journey, the magician and his companions had to be tired, and it wasn't like Shinichi was really uncomfortable or anything. It was…actually kind of comforting in its own way, to be held by Kaito.

There was something familiar about this feeling.

He poked at that realization for a while before giving up on it for the time being. His own thoughts were starting to lose coherence. It seemed he was more tired than he had realized.

He would just have to try harder to remember tomorrow.

The personal declaration lingered in his mind as he finally fell asleep, a trace of starlight on the quiet swells of a peaceful sea.

X

_ It was strange. This person seated on the bench beside him, here in the night beneath the moon's sylvan touch, was both everything he'd once thought a person shouldn't be and everything he'd believed a person should hold dear. He broke the laws but had more honor than most law-abiding citizens. He laughed in the face of propriety and common sense but at the same time he never hurt anyone—though he did have a tendency to trample upon people's pride—and somehow made the nonsensical into his own brand of logic. He was arrogant and impulsive yet meticulous and there was no denying that he could back his claims with real skill. He was an attention-hog of the highest order, but he cared. He really cared for the smiles of his audience and the laughter in their hearts, and that in itself was a rare trait. It was odd to think that it was being borne by a convicted criminal, but that was just another of Kaito's contradictions. He was full of them, but they all seemed to work together in that same, illogical way of his to make the inexplicable person he was._

_ And it was strange, Shinichi added silently to himself, that he should find it so easy to relax in the presence of such a person. But he supposed that was just another one of the many strange things about the person behind the guise of Kaitou KID that he couldn't begin to understand._

_ "So Tantei-kun, what are you planning to do when this is all over?"_

_ Pulling himself from his thoughts, he glanced over at the magician before turning his eyes back to the moon. "I guess that depends on if Haibara can find a permanent cure."_

_ "She will."_

_ "You sound awfully sure."_

_ "Hey, you've gotta believe before you can succeed I say. So then what?"_

_ "I…guess I'll go home. See what I have to do to get the high school to let me graduate on time… Work on cases…"_

_ "Hmm."_

_ "What about you?"_

_ White teeth flashed in a mischievous, sharp-edged grin. "Why, I've still got a gem to find, remember?"_

_ He rolled his eyes but he couldn't hold back the laugh. "Of course."_

_ Silence fell again. It was a comfortable kind of silence. The night was warm and all around them the distant hum of city life gave the air both a touch of energy and the taste of peace._

_ "We should do this again some time," the magician mused._

_ He turned to look at him, mildly puzzled. "Do what? We didn't really do anything."_

_ He was answered by a light, amused laugh. "I wouldn't call it nothing. Walk, talk, sight-see, eat—I'd say we did a lot of things."_

_ "I suppose so."_

_ "So is it a deal?"_

_ "Why not? As long as we get out of this alive…"_

_ "What did I say about believing?" the other admonished, wagging a finger under his nose. "Now, let's—Tantei-kun?"_

_ The pain was familiar but that didn't make it any more bearable. It was sharp and stabbing, pulsing through his veins and making him double over as his breath hitched in his throat. "It—it's wearing off… Need—somewhere,…can't be seen…"_

_ He'd squeezed his eyes shut but he could sense the magician move. Then someone was carefully lifting him up into their arms even as he bit down on the urge to cry out. The last thing they needed was for someone to come see what the screaming was about._

_ "Don't worry Shinichi," a voice murmured somewhere over his head. "I won't let us get caught. And I won't let us get killed either. I promise you that."_

"Kaitou KID…"

Kaito glanced quickly at the boy walking beside him at the sound of those murmured words. "What?"

Blue eyes rose to meet his as Shinichi's steps slowed. Around them, the curious villagers cast looks in their direction, but no one actually approached them. The two of them had volunteered to help Mizumi run a few errands through the village that morning. The others had dropped by to meet the Kitas around breakfast time but none of them felt in any hurry to leave. Their companions hadn't had much chance to see the village the day before and they had decided to take the chance to do a bit of exploring. "Is that…you?"

Part of Kaito wanted to laugh, the other part didn't. The uncertain, searching look in those blue eyes made him want to reach out—to pull him close and vow never to let go again because _this was not supposed to be happening_—but he resisted the urge. Funny, he mused, to think that he should be hoping for a detective to connect him to that name.

"What do you think?" he prompted gently, keeping his expression carefully neutral.

Shinichi studied him for another moment before looking away with a slight frown. By now he had stopped walking entirely and Kaito turned to face him fully, waiting. For several seconds neither of them moved or spoke. Finally, Shinichi looked up again, the uncertainty from before no longer in his eyes. Instead it had been replaced by a determined certainty.

"You are," he stated firmly, his tone growing more confident.

A genuine smile broke out across the magician's face and he reached out on an impulse to ruffle the shorter teen's hair. "Good. Let's just call it our little secret, shall we?"

He was gratified by the faint hue of pink that crept into Shinichi's face as the detective batted his hand away. "Stop that."

"Now that sounds more like my Tantei-kun," Kaito chuckled. "Now what do you say we—"

Shinichi cried out in alarm as Kaito suddenly cut himself off and lunged at him. He had no time to react as the magician crashed into him, sending them both sprawling onto the packed dirt of the street. Shinichi's head spun as his still-recovering body protested the rough treatment. Struggling to clear his thoughts, he felt his blood run cold as he saw the bright red of blood spreading rapidly across the magician's sleeve where his arm was braced near Shinichi's face. Kaito, however, didn't seem to notice. He was already back on his feet, yanking Shinichi up with him and darting between the two buildings nearest them. Behind them shouts rang out as something—another shot?—smashed through a vase. Yells and screams rang out as people ducked for cover. A moment later Shinichi found himself being flattened against the more heavily shadowed wall by Kaito, who had somehow managed to maintain a calm, even breathing pattern despite the sudden exertion. Pressed together as they were however, Shinichi could feel that the magician's heart was racing.

Or maybe that was his own heart pounding.

Sandwiched between Kaito and the building wall, he couldn't really see anything. All he could do was listen to the commotion in the streets. Several of the larger villagers were now banding together to search for the source of the shots. Others were checking the children and still more were running off to spread the news of possible danger. No one seemed to have noticed him and Kaito in the shadows—or at least no one was coming their way.

Shinichi's instincts were telling him to go help them find the shooter, but before he could say so Kaito was already moving—in the other direction. He was headed behind the buildings away from the main street.

"Hey," Shinichi began, but Kaito cut him off before he could say any more.

"_Be quiet_." The two simple words were said in a low, almost whisper, but the hard edge to them had the rest of Shinichi's words retreating hurriedly back down his throat. The magician picked up his pace, one hand locked around Shinichi's wrist in an iron grip as indigo eyes scanned the buildings and the shadows beneath the trees they raced past. He guided them quickly along the outskirts of the village until the familiar form of the Kitas' house appeared ahead. Instead of going to the front door though, Kaito pulled Shinichi around back to the window of their room.

Once there, he finally released his grip on Shinichi. A few seconds later he had the window open and was directing Shinichi through it.

It wasn't until they were both inside and the window firmly shut once more with the curtains drawn to hide them from any passing eyes that either of them spoke again.

"It looks like you've been found," said Kaito, turning to face Shinichi fully with a calculating expression in his indigo eyes. The detective would have asked what he meant by that—found by who? Or what? And why?—but the red wetness creeping across Kaito's sleeve caught his eye once more and all thoughts of dark strangers hiding in the forests with guns fled to be replaced by concern.

"Your arm!" he gasped.

The magician glanced at it as though just noticing then shrugged. "It's not serious."

But Shinichi wasn't listening. He was already heading out of the room. A few moments later he returned with a roll of clean cloth, a bowl of warm water, and a handful of other necessary tools.

"Sit down," he instructed, setting the supplies down on the bedside table. "If we don't clean that soon it could get infected."

**TBC**


	9. Discoveries

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK

* * *

**Path of Dappled Light**

9: Discoveries

Sitting down on the bed beside the magician, Shinichi set about examining the wounded arm. He wished he could have used some antiseptics but the village didn't have any. They would have to make do and hope it was enough.

"It's only a scratch," Kaito said, watching his companion's brows furrow. "It's really nothing to frown over."

He shot the magician an irritated look before promptly deciding to ignore him. Instead he focused his attention on the injury in question. It looked like the bullet had only grazed him, but it was still a little too deep for comfort. Seeing it made his stomach clench with worry.

"And after the shoulder one just got better too," he grumbled, not really paying attention to the words as he started cleaning the wound.

Kaito on the other hand caught the comment and stiffened slightly. His mind automatically pulled out and reviewed all the conversations he'd had with Shinichi since he and the others had arrived in the village. Had he mentioned that old shoulder injury? No, there hadn't been any reason to.

"Better my arm than your head," the magician said lightly, watching Shinichi work with intense eyes. The detective flinched at the comment but didn't respond. "What was that about a shoulder injury?"

"You were shot in the right shoulder, remember?" Shinichi stopped abruptly, hearing the words that had just come out of his own mouth. His hands continued to work on autopilot, wrapping strips of clean cloth around Kaito's arm, but his thoughts raced back through the conversation then farther back, chasing the threads of stirring memories.

_ "So what's the hero of the hour doing out here all by himself?"_

_ "I'm not a hero. Just a tired detective who's discovered he has an aversion to cameras and being stared at."_

_ A laugh. "I didn't know you were camera shy."_

_ "I didn't used to be. But now just the idea of having my face in the newspapers is giving me goose bumps."_

_ "I could always filch the film—just kidding, no need to give me that look."_

_ "They're looking for you too you know. The reporters are dying to know why the great Kaitou KID was seen at the scene of the takedown."_

_ "They'll just have to keep wondering then won't they?"_

They had been fighting people, he thought. Dangerous people. He couldn't remember exactly who they were at the moment, but he knew the battle was over.

But then who was Kaito talking about when he said that Shinichi had been found? Even if they hadn't just been shot at, his tone would have told Shinichi that he didn't mean anyone friendly. Clearly Kaito thought whoever it was had come for Shinichi. Could it have something to do with how he'd ended up in that river in the first place?

That would make sense, he decided.

"Are you all right?"

Realizing that he'd been staring at the tied off bandaging for several minutes now, Shinichi looked up.

_ "Are you all right? You don't seem very happy. I would have thought you'd be proud of yourself."_

_ He glanced at the magician then shrugged. There had been a time when he'd been ridiculously proud of his deductive skills, but two years as a child who could speak only through the mouths of others had taught him a few lessons—some harder than others. He'd realized that there were lots of people out there as smart as or maybe even smarter than he was, although perhaps in different ways. Intelligence came in many forms, each with its own strength to offer. It was just that not everyone chose to use their abilities in the way he had. He had come to hope that there would be more detectives like himself and Hattori because the world was too large a place for any one or two or three people to protect. He'd seen first hand how easily people jumped to the wrong conclusions, especially when they didn't want to see the truth, and it was a cold and unpleasant wake up to what that could mean._

_ "I think…I'm just glad that it's over," he said finally. "But it's kind of hard to celebrate when I remember everything that was lost before we got to this point."_

_ Kaito's expression grew serious. "That may be true, but you tried your best. You can't ask more of yourself than that. No one can."_

_ "Perhaps. But I wonder sometimes…did I really do everything I could? I close my eyes and I see all the moments where I could have maybe done something differently—better maybe."_

_ "Don't underrate yourself, Detective. Like they say, hindsight's twenty-twenty, but you wouldn't have made the choices you did if you didn't think they were the right ones when you made them. The outcomes are always anyone's guess. For all you know, different choices may just as well have ended worse. You owe me a date by the way."_

_ Shinichi spluttered, face flaring with heat. "What?"_

_ "Remember? On that day we went out together before the final plans were set into motion. I asked if you'd go out with me again when it was over and you said yes."_

_ "That wasn't a _date_," the detective protested weakly._

_ "Oh?" Kaito feigned surprise. "What would you call it then?"_

_ "It was—you know, just…hanging out with a friend."_

_ The magician dismissed his garbled argument with a careless wave. "Details, details. You said yes, so you have to go out with me at least one more time, and I say it's a date."_

Shinichi blushed. He had the feeling the magician had gotten his date. Did that mean…? It would explain a lot—like why he felt so at ease with the magician's close proximity and the feeling of loss he'd felt that morning when he'd woken to find Kaito already gone. He had suffered a brief moment of panic, wondering if the previous day's encounters had all been a wistful dream.

Or he could be making premature assumptions based on too little information. Surely Kaito would have said something to him about it if they were in such a relationship. Or would he? It was a rather strange thing to walk up and tell someone who didn't remember you.

"What's on your mind, Tantei-kun?"

Shinichi bit his lip. "I was just thinking…"

"About what?" the magician prompted, using his most encouraging, 'you can tell me anything' tone.

"Were we…did we… I mean, are—are we… I remember you asking—and I just thought—I was wondering…" Frustrated and embarrassed, he stared intently at Kaito, willing him to understand because he really didn't know how to ask without making everything terribly awkward if he was wrong.

The magician seemed to be thinking over what he'd said and picking out all the words he hadn't voiced.

Then Kaito kissed him. He couldn't help it. That adorable blush and that wide-eyed, hopeful, almost pleading expression were too much to resist, especially when he couldn't really think of a reason to do so. Shinichi had asked after all. Naturally, he would answer. And Shinichi didn't pull away. Instead his eyes slid closed and he tentatively kissed back.

It was familiar and it was warm and it made every nerve in his body tingle.

Kaito leaned forward, pressing their mouths more firmly together and deepening the kiss. Shinichi's arms came up to curl around the magician's neck.

That was when Hakuba walked in.

"Kuroba!" he exclaimed in horror. "What are you doing?!"

Shinichi started and he probably would have moved away if such a thing were physically possible considering the position he was in sprawled out on his back with Kaito on top of him. As it was his face turned even redder than it had been as blue eyes blinked wide in mixed surprise and a little confusion. He'd been so lost in the sensations that he hadn't really registered exactly what was happening. He certainly hadn't heard anyone approaching the room. His eyes fixed on Kaito, who had moved at some point and was now standing facing the intruder. The expression on his face was neutral but Shinichi found that he could read the irritation behind his eyes and in his stance.

"Don't you know how to knock?" the magician asked in a deceptively mild tone that somehow also managed to imply that the blonde was an idiot. Shinichi sat up, looking between the two as he struggled to get his own expression under control.

Hakuba seemed to be struggling with some internal turmoil. Eventually, he cleared his throat (it sounded very uncomfortable) before speaking. "Can I talk to you outside, Kuroba?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow then shrugged. "Fine." He turned to Shinichi. "I'll be right back."

A few moments later the door clicked shut behind him. He found Hakuba waiting in the hall just outside Shinichi's room.

"Well?" he asked impatiently. "What is it?"

The blond detective was giving him an even more disapproving look than he usually did. Which, in itself, was something of a feat. When he finally spoke, it was in a low (probably so as not to be heard through the door) but vehement hiss.

"I can't believe you would take advantage of someone who's lost his memory like that!"

Kaito stiffened and glared at him. "_I_ can't believe you'd accuse me of any such thing."

"What do you expect me to think?" Hakuba shot back. "What were you _doing_ to him?!"

Kaito considered the vast array of answers he could give to that ridiculous question, starting with the obvious and working its way up. He could also just laugh in the guy's face. But he supposed the blonde probably meant well, even if he was being remarkably slow on the uptake. He decided to go with the obvious answer with a dash of additional information to establish a few facts because, while he had decided this was one point upon which he should set the blonde straight, he also knew it would make Hakuba uncomfortable (and at this point he felt the blonde deserved all the discomfort he could milk out of this. Seriously, could his timing have been any worse? And who did he think he was talking to?).

"I was kissing him, obviously. Isn't that one of the things people do when they're in a relationship? I would've thought even you would know that."

As predicted, Hakuba blanched. "What? B—but you can't be…! I mean, he's…" The sheer horror in his voice and on his face made Kaito laugh. "You never mentioned that you _knew_ Kudo-san _personally_!"

"Why would I ever tell you?" Kaito quipped, sounding honestly mystified. "You'd end up harassing the poor fellow."

Hakuba opened his mouth then shut it again. He looked rather like the foundations of all his beliefs in the way the world should work were cracking and falling apart under his feet, the thief observed. Then again, that was probably to be expected. The notion of an internationally wanted criminal dating a renowned and respected detective had no place in Hakuba's black and white world. He committed the frozen tableau that was the flabbergasted detective to memory to laugh at later before clearing his throat.

"If you'll excuse me, I have someone waiting for me. Good day. Try to remember to knock next time you're going into someone's private room." Parting shot had, he slipped back into Shinichi's room.

X

It was rude to eavesdrop, but Shinichi couldn't help it. He wanted to know what the problem was. So he'd tiptoed to the door and pressed his ear to the crack by the frame. It wasn't easy to hear anything other than a muffled sort of murmuring, but he caught a few words here and there. It was enough to get at least the gist of what they were saying, though he had to work out the significance of it on his own, picking out what he believed to be the presumptions and the unspoken statements.

When it sounded like the conversation was over, he hurried back to sit on the edge of his bed. He had no sooner reached it then the door opened to readmit Kaito. The instant the door was shut again, the magician doubled over in silent peels of laughter.

Shinichi blinked at him. That was…not what he had expected. Not that he'd really known what to expect.

"How did it go?" he asked hesitantly.

Recollecting his composure, Kaito straightened and smirked. "I'm sure you were listening. You tell me."

Shinichi flushed. "I—I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"I didn't mean it like that," Kaito cut in, chuckling at the look on his detective's face. "I eavesdrop on people all the time. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Coming from a kaitou, that's not very convincing…" But Shinichi was smiling as he said it. "Is Hakuba-san always so…"

"Nosy? Suspicious?" suggested the magician. "Absolutely. He can be a real pain in the neck. He's the kind of person who grabs onto an idea and won't let go no matter how much evidence to the contrary is shoved down his throat. Bit of a stuck-up prat really, but he has his uses. Speaking of suspicions though," he continued, tone growing serious. "I need to get the word to the others about the shooting. I want you to stay here. I know you like to run off and try to find people like this all by yourself, but this really isn't the time. Keep the curtains closed and don't leave the room unless you have to. If you do, stay away from the windows. I'll be back as soon as I can and we'll decide what to do from there."

"But whoever it was saw you with me. And your arm… If they're really that dangerous—"

"Don't worry, no one will even see me." Kaito's expression morphed into a wicked, razor grin as his eyes gleamed. "Thief's honor. Now it's your turn. Promise to stay here until I get back."

Shinichi nodded reluctantly. He really would have preferred to go with Kaito—or go look for the culprit as the magician had said. But he could see the sense in Kaito's words as well. Besides, he had a lot to think about.

A puff of smoke temporarily filled the room. Having expected Kaito to have used the cover to disappear, he was surprised when the smoke cleared and he found the magician's face inches away from his own. He let out an involuntary squeak of surprise and nearly toppled over backward.

A hand on his shoulder steadied him as Kaito placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "We'll talk more about this later. Maybe pick up where we left off?" He smirked, winked, and vanished in another puff of smoke.

Shinichi was beginning to wonder if he'd ever stop blushing.

In a moment of clarity, he realized that he no longer felt like something was missing.

X

_ "When you get back, there's someone I want you to meet."_

_ "Who?"_

_ Kaito smirked, waving an admonishing finger under his nose. "You'll find out when you come back."_

**TBC**

* * *

**A.N**: I was at a fantasy convention recently and got to see people in full armor duel with real swords. It was pretty awesome ^_^ And pretty noisy, hehe. Anyhow, hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you next time!


	10. Suspicions

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK

* * *

**Path of Dappled Light**

10: Suspicions

It had been decided that they should leave immediately. It was true that they would be exposing themselves to attack between leaving the village and returning to civilization, but the shooter had already shown that he, she, or they had no compunctions about firing into a crowded street. The last thing Shinichi wanted was to inflict such danger on the people who had shown him nothing but warm hospitality. It wouldn't be fair to them. This simple, peaceful village was a sanctuary. He would not be responsible for destroying that.

_"Take care,"_ Mizumi-san had said to him as she gave him a quick hug goodbye.

His last view of the village was of the Kita brother and sister standing at the foot of the path that would lead them through the trees and rocky ridges of the mountains. Then they rounded a large rock formation and the village vanished from sight.

He had a feeling that he would never see the place again.

It left him with an odd sense of loss.

Turning his eyes forward again, he took comfort from the reassuring presence of Kaito walking beside him.

"Are you guys sure we shouldn't wait until after dark?" Ran asked, glancing a bit nervously around at their surroundings. "Wouldn't it be easier to move undetected?"

"Problem is, that works both ways," Hattori replied from near the back of their group. "And considering how many of us there are, we'd be at a disadvantage in the stealth department. During the day, we have a better chance of spotting anyone following us. And we can move faster too."

Silence fell over the group as the sound of running water reached their ears. Soon the path flattened and melded with the bank of the river. It glimmered and laughed as it rushed along its rocky bed beneath a thin, almost imperceptible blanket of mist. Makoto led the way towards the trail they had first taken to descend into the river valley.

Shinichi paused at the top of the path, glancing back for one last look down into the valley at the path to the village. Only the path was gone, leaving behind nothing more than the rocky valley through which the river still ran. There wasn't even a trace to indicate that there had ever been a path at all.

He stared, then shook his head and looked again, but nothing had changed.

X

"So, Hattori-kun, Kuroba said you introduced him to Kudo-san in Osaka."

"Huh?" Hattori stared at the blond detective blankly for a split second before the words clicked. "Oh! Uh, yeah. What of it?"

"How did you know Kuroba?"

"Uh, well, we more sorta all ran into each other at the same time," the Osakan hazarded, wishing the magician had informed him beforehand of what kind of cover story they were supposed to be using. "My friend Kazuha's a huge magic fan," he added as inspiration struck. "She spotted Kuroba doing some kind of show for the people at this outdoor dining area. When we saw him, we noticed how he kinda looks a little like Kudo, so we asked him if he was a relative or something. Then he said he'd like to meet Kudo, and we were going to meet him at the train station anyway, so we let him come with. And, yeah, that was basically it."

"I see." Hakuba seemed to be mulling this over. "There wouldn't, per chance, have been a KID heist taking place in Osaka around the time of which you speak, would there?"

Hattori fought the urge to emulate a deer caught in headlights. "What? I don't think so. What's that got to do with anything?"

"I was simply wondering if that was why Kuroba was in Osaka."

"Oh, uh… Oh yeah, he did say he was a KID fan," Hattori blurted.

That got him a snort from the blonde. "Fan indeed. And how long have you known Kudo-san?"

Hattori relaxed a little at the change of topic. "Couple years. We met while he was working on that big case. I'm sure you've read about it in the papers."

"Is that so?" Hakuba looked honestly interested now. "So was he in Osaka then? When he disappeared from Tokyo, I mean."

"Er, well, sometimes," he hedged. Man, this was getting into sticky territory. The Conan incident was still a rather sensitive topic for Shinichi. It was something he preferred to keep to himself and those closest to him. And here was Hakuba, obviously fishing for something even if Hattori couldn't quite pinpoint what.

If it had just been questions about KID and Kuroba, he'd understand. Kuroba had mentioned that Hakuba was still trying to prove he was KID. But what was up with the questions about Kudo? Did he suspect that Kudo had a connection to KID? It was possible. Kuroba wasn't putting much effort into hiding that they were close. Damn him. _He_ should be the one dealing with the nosy blonde. Or Kudo. It was Kudo's fault he knew anything worth hiding (he was ignoring the fact that he was a nosy detective himself).

But for the sake of his friends, he couldn't slip up.

_ "Yo! Ku—I mean Conan! Over here!"_

_ The small boy who'd just walked into the café glanced around at the sound of his name. Spotting Hattori, he hurried over and climbed into the empty chair opposite the Osakan detective. The teen in question looked back to the doorway, puzzled, before returning his attention to his friend._

_ "Hey, I thought you said you were bringing someone I should meet. You know, who'll be helping us with the final plans. So where is he?"_

_ Shinichi fidgeted a little before clearing his throat. "He's here. But first… Well, I thought it would be best if I talked to you a bit first."_

_ Hattori raised an eyebrow at that. "Why? He's not another insider is he?"_

_ The boy shook his head. "No. And I'd recommend you not insinuate that when you meet him. It wouldn't be a healthy move."_

_ "Has a grudge, huh?"_

_ Shinichi shifted again, looking a bit uncomfortable. "Kind of. It's not really my story to tell though."_

_ Hattori shrugged. "I can understand that. So who is he then?"_

_ "…Kaitou KID."_

_ If Shinichi hadn't half expected it, he would never have been able to move in time. Instead, he threw himself out of his chair just a fraction of a moment before Hattori sprayed tea all over it. Grimacing in disgust, Shinichi picked himself up off the floor and shot the coughing detective an irate look._

_ "Do you _mind_?"_

_ "Mind! Mind?" Hattori spluttered, completely missing the actual point of Shinichi's annoyed exclamation. "You just told me you've allied yourself to a wanted criminal!"_

_ "Keep your voice down!" Shinichi hissed, blue eyes flickering hurriedly to check the other people seated about the café. His nerves were frazzled enough without Hattori yelling out additional information for whoever might be watching them. Okay, he knew he was a bit paranoid, but he could feel that they were being watched. And while he knew Kaito, at least, was watching, there was always the chance that there were others. Always. That was the whole reason the organization was so difficult to deal with. Anyone could be one of them._

_ The Osakan lowered his voice but his expression remained stuck between incredulous and aghast. "How did this _happen_?"_

_ "Perhaps I should explain," a smooth voice cut in before Shinichi could respond._

_ Hattori started and his head jerked around. He hadn't heard or sensed anyone approaching their table. It was like the guy had simply materialized beside them!_

_ The newcomer casually picked up the shrunken detective as he pulled out the chair not covered in tea splatters and sat down. He deposited Shinichi on his lap as he did so and handed the boy a small cup of coffee. Another cup had appeared on the table as well—presumably belonging to the newcomer._

_ "You didn't have to get it for me," Shinichi grumbled, but he accepted the cup gratefully._

_ "I know. I felt like it." A brief smile flashed across the newcomer's face before his expression smoothed into a completely impassive, unreadable mask. "So then, Hattori Heiji, I believe we have some things to discuss."_

_ "I—wha—you—I mean—who—You're Kaitou KID?"_

_ A sharp grin that reminded Hattori disconcertingly of sharks flashed across the stranger's face beneath the shadow being cast by his baseball cap. "Some people call me that."_

He'd been in a lot of weird situations since he'd met Kudo, but that had definitely been one of the weirdest. It hadn't helped that Shinichi had just sat there on the thief's lap, nursing his coffee like there was nothing wrong about it. He might not have been bothered by it, but all Hattori had been able to think was that there was a _criminal_ holding his friend (hostage!). Granted, KID was a nonviolent criminal, but that didn't mean he was harmless. Far from it.

But he'd trusted Shinichi's judgment and heard them out, and everything had worked out for the best in the end.

And now back to the Hakuba problem…

Some yards away, Kaito leaned in to murmur into Shinichi's ear. "I'll bet they're talking about us."

Shinichi followed his gaze to the two detectives. "Why? Can you hear them?"

"Nope, don't have to. You've seen how they get along—or rather don't get along," he snickered. "Since we're not on a crimes scene, the only reason Hakuba could have for approaching Hattori-kun right now would be to ask questions. And from the way they keep shooting looks our way, it's pretty obvious what those questions are about. I'm sure he wants to grill Tantei-han about where and how we met so he can find out whether you or Hattori-kun have proof that I'm KID."

"I see. I…was kind of wondering about that too…"

"About which part?"

Shinichi looked away for a long moment, feet scuffing over the fallen leaves that carpeted the ground. When the answer finally came, Kaito was slightly taken aback, though he didn't show it.

"When exactly did we meet?"

"Well, I'd say it's been almost three years ago now. Why do you ask?"

"So…it wasn't a really long time ago?"

The thief shrugged. "That depends on what you consider to be a long time, but not particularly."

"But…" Shinichi trailed off, brows furrowing further rather than relaxing. Eventually, he shook his head. "In a lot of the times I remember, I feel like I was…a lot smaller…? But I also remember—changing. Some kind of medicine…?"

Understanding dawned on Kaito and he hid a chuckle. "Oh, that. You see, a few years ago you got yourself poisoned and turned into a little kid again. In fact, you only got back to normal a couple months back."

"You're not pulling my leg are you?"

"Nope. You can ask Hattori-kun or Ran-san if you want a second opinion. Not many people know about the whole thing, but there are others if you want to talk to more people."

"Oh." Well, fantastical as it sounded, that would make a lot of the confusing points of his fragmented memories make a lot more sense.

_"Put me down!"_

_ "Don't be ridiculous. My legs are a lot longer than yours. Or do you really want to get caught?"_

"You lived with Ran-san and her father for the few years you were little again," Kaito continued. "Mouri Kogoro is now a famous detective because of you. They call him Sleeping Kogoro because you used to dart him before using his voice to solve cases and so naturally everyone thought he solved cases in a trance. It's funny what people will believe. But anyway, you continued to call her Ran-neechan for a while even after you got the antidote." He chuckled at a memory. "I think she honestly couldn't decide if it annoyed her or if she liked it. From what I've seen though, I believe she rather enjoys the idea of being a big sister."

"I think I remember some of that," Shinichi mused, digesting the new information. He looked ahead to where Ran was chatting with Makoto as the man led the way back through the forest to the road. "You haven't told me much about Makoto-san. Was he someone I worked with too?"

Kaito shook his head. "Nope. Actually, we only just met him when we came looking for you. Hakuba hired him as a guide since he's supposed to know these mountains pretty well. Although he didn't even know about the village so I can't say I think much of his claim."

"Really?" Shinichi frowned in confusion. "He looks kind of familiar though…" he mused, more to himself than to Kaito. "Maybe I knew someone who looked like him?"

"Maybe," the magician said slowly, indigo eyes narrowing just a fraction.

Shinichi noticed the sudden rise in tension, but he was distracted. He couldn't help it. The pieces were coming faster now and he couldn't help but reach for them. He had to give them all his attention, because if he didn't he was afraid he could lose them again.

X

"I see the cars!"

Ran's excited exclamation was met with relief by her companions. Trekking through the forest while wondering if they were going to be shot at had made what might otherwise have been a peaceful hike into something far more tiring than it had a right to be.

"We'll follow you," Makoto said, reaching for the door to the car he and Hakuba had come in.

"Actually," Kaito cut in smoothly, "I think it would be better if we followed you. The light's fading and you know these roads better than we do."

He watched the man's face closely but Makoto's expression didn't change as he nodded his consent. The man had a pretty good Poker Face, Kaito mused. Or he could really be that naturally stoic. But Kaito hadn't survived as long as he had by leaving things to chance.

"We should hurry if we want to get back to town before it's too dark to see at all," said Hattori. Quickly, all six of them climbed into the waiting cars.

Kaito opened the back door of their rental and waited for Shinichi to get in before sliding in after him. Hattori took the driver's seat. Ran was the last to get into the car. She paused with her hand on the top of the door, looking back into the shadows beneath the forest fringe. But then Hakuba and Makoto's car hummed to life and began to pull away and she had to hurry so they wouldn't lose them.

Around them, the evening stood unnaturally still, like the world was holding its breath. It wasn't until the humans in their rumbling vehicles were gone that the forest began to breathe again.

**TBC**


	11. Precious Moments

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK

* * *

**Path of Dappled Light**

11: Precious Moments

_ "This is not a date."_

_ The teen on the other side of the table didn't say anything to that, but the amused quirk of his lips told Shinichi that he could deny all he wanted but it wasn't changing anything._

_ "It isn't," he said again, feeling his face begin to burn._

_ The thief's grin grew wider. "You're blushing," he pointed out unnecessarily (and very unhelpfully to Shinichi, who only blushed harder)._

_ Shinichi picked up his mug and took a hurried gulp of coffee. "Why are you doing this?"_

_ "Doing what?"_

_ "This!" He waved a hand at the quaint little restaurant they were currently seated in. It was warm and clean with a simple kind of elegance. It was also full of couples._

_ "Well, usually people eat when they go to restaurants."_

"_You know that's not what I meant. I was talking about this—this outing," he clarified. "Why are we here?"_

_ The thief tilted his head slightly to one side as one eyebrow rose. "Isn't it obvious?"_

_ Shinichi's brows furrowed. No, it wasn't obvious. If it was, he wouldn't have asked._

_His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of their waiter. The man introduced himself then waited patiently as the two placed their orders._

_As he left, Kaito launched into an animated story about how he'd first found this restaurant. Soon, Shinichi had forgotten all about his questions. Which, in retrospect, was probably what Kaito had intended._

Shinichi had fallen asleep, his head resting on Kaito's shoulder in the back seat. The inside of the car was quiet but for the muted hum of the engine. Ahead of them, the tail lights of the other car cut brilliant holes in the fabric of the evening.

The magician slid an arm around Shinichi's middle, adjusting him into a more comfortable position before turning his gaze to the back of Ran's head. "Ran-san, I was wondering, what were you and the others doing in the village this morning?"

The brunette glanced back at him in mild surprise before her expression grew thoughtful. "Well, after we left the Kitas' house, we thought we'd go take a look around the village. I mean, it was a pretty amazing place."

"That it was," Kaito agreed. "So you decided to go sightseeing."

"Yep. Everyone was really nice. Then you came and, well, you know the rest."

"Why're you asking about this?" Hattori asked curiously.

Kaito made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. "Just wondering. So did you all explore together?"

Ran shook her head. "No, we split up because everyone wanted to see different things. Makoto-san and I spent most of our time watching the village potters work. Their work was really amazing. Hattori-kun spent quite a lot of time talking to one of the woodworkers—"

"He was telling me about making hunting bows," the teen in question interjected.

"And I think Hakuba-san was arguing with someone about the village spirits."

The magician rolled his eyes. That didn't surprise him one bit. "So Makoto-san was with you the whole time?"

"Oh, no, he went with the boy who was delivering some of the finished pots to the painter while I was talking with this lady about river clay. He said he wanted to see the whole process through."

"Hold on a moment." Hattori turned his eyes to the rearview mirror where he could see his friends in the back seat. "You're not thinking that he's the shooter, are you?"

"Let's just say it crossed my mind."

Ran's brows furrowed. "But why? None of us have ever met him before. I don't even think Shinichi's been to this area before. It's not exactly near home."

"It doesn't see a lot of tourists either," the Osakan detective added. "And the population is pretty small. But that would be assuming he's telling the truth when he said he was a local."

"Wouldn't Hakuba-san have noticed then?" she argued. "He's been acting as Hakuba-san's guide. It would be obvious if he didn't know things he's supposed to for that."

The magician shook his head. "Take it from me, that kind of thing can be learned."

"It is true though that most people don't up and try to kill people they've never met," said Hattori. "You get the occasional crazy or terrorist who doesn't give a damn about murdering innocent people, but—thankfully—they're the minority. Whoever set up this whole thing was targeting Kudo from the beginning. There has to be a motive—some kind of connection."

"Could it be someone looking for revenge?" Ran suggested. "I mean, you guys are always dealing with criminals…" She paused when Hattori let out a loud snort. "So you don't think that's it?"

"What? Oh, no, it could be. I was just laughing 'cause—er, I mean, never mind. But anyway, since Kudo can't tell us himself if he's seen this guy before, we're going to have to find some other way to check if it's an old acquaintance."

As the three carried on their discussion, Shinichi shifted in his sleep, curling closer to Kaito's side.

_ It was a dance._

_ They were in the park, but no one who came to the place before would recognize it now. Kaito had really outdone himself—then again, even people who didn't know him very well knew to expect the impossible from the magician thief soon after meeting him no matter what name he was using at the time. It just wasn't his style. Nothing delighted Kaito more than proving to those nonbelievers that there was no such thing as impossible when it came to Kuroba Kaito. But that thought was but a fleeting one at the back of Shinichi's mind as he'd opened his eyes earlier that evening to the sight of the newly improved Beika Park._

_ It looked like a Christmas party that had decided to migrate outdoors or some kind of sorcerer's enchanted garden, he thought, half amused—trust Kaito to come up with something like this—and half in awe (and maybe just a little bit embarrassed in a warm and fluttery kind of way, because he knew Kaito had done it for _them_). There were lights everywhere, filling the night with a soft, dreamlike glow. He could hear music too, drifting through the park in sylvan threads. On one side of the clearing, a small table had been set up for two._

_ "Since you said you didn't want to go to the party, I thought we'd have our own private one," Kaito had explained, a proud smirk stretched across his face as he swept his arms out to indicate their surroundings._

_ Ah yes, the party. It was being held by the Suzukis to celebrate Sonoko's sister's birthday. It seemed to Shinichi that the whole city had been invited. The Suzukis never did anything by halves. He'd been invited too, but parties had never been his thing even before the Conan incident. Since then… Well, the thought of all those crowds and all the _questions_ he still couldn't seem to be rid of was enough to make him feel mildly ill. Just about everyone else he knew was going though, and he'd thought Kaito would be too since he'd been telling Shinichi about several other magic enthusiasts who'd be there. He'd been planning on spending the evening at home with a book and a mug of hot coffee, but then Kaito had shown up unannounced at his door, and here they were._

_ He'd gotten used to the magician's sudden visits by now—secretly looked forward to them, to be honest. It had all started with that first lunch. One outing had turned into two, then three… He continued to refuse to call them dates, but as time rolled on his protests grew weaker and more habitual than meaningful. Lately, he'd relented and admitted, to himself at least, that they probably were._

_ "I would recommend we eat first before it gets cold . Mom made it, so it's bound to be great."_

_ "Your mom did?"_

_ "Yep. I told her I was setting up a picnic for my favorite detective and she insisted."_

_ He'd been right about the food. It was delicious. The magician had often bragged that his mother was the best cook in the world, and, while Shinichi was by no means a culinary expert, it seemed to him that Kaito had been well justified in saying so._

_ Then the thief had stood up and bowed and offered Shinichi his hand in that melodramatic way he loved and asked him to dance. And that was how they'd ended up here._

_Fluid motions borne along by threads of melody. Warm bodies and soft eyes wrapped in the haze of a dream in the middle of stark reality. A smile. A laugh. Whispered words mingled with unspoken promises._

_And a kiss._

_It was their first, but Shinichi knew then that it wouldn't be their last._

X

"Shin-chan, we're here."

Shinichi wrinkled his nose and tried to burrow into the back seat of the car. Firm hands aborted his attempt at retreat, however, and tugged him towards the chill air he could faintly feel against the side of his face. Annoyed, he cracked open an eye to stare balefully at the smudge of the person who was trying to remove him from the comforts of the warm car interior.

All he got for his troubles was a soft laugh. "Now, now, it'll be much more comfortable inside the hotel. Besides, you haven't eaten anything since breakfast. You must be hungry. I know I am."

Shinichi considered this for a while. He supposed he was a little hungry, but it was comfortable where he was right now. He could always just make sure he ate breakfast tomorrow…

"Eating a big breakfast the day after doesn't make up for skipping dinner," Kaito admonished.

Blue eyes stared at him. Had the magician just read his mind? He felt like that kind of ability, at least, he would remember.

An amused smirk had made its way onto the thief's face as he leaned further into the car and looped an arm around Shinichi in order to scoop him out of the vehicle. "No, I can't read minds. I just know you. Now come on, or do you really want me to carry you inside?"

The mental image of himself being carried into the hotel in front of who knew how many people had Shinichi reluctantly giving in and climbing out of the car into the chilly night air. Besides, he didn't want Kaito putting unnecessary pressure on his arm, even if the magician insisted it was only a scratch. He shivered as a gust of night wind swept around him like an icy cloak. It wasn't as cold as the night in the mountains, but it was still far from warm, especially after he'd just come out of the toasty, heated car.

Kaito directed him to the hotel's front doors where Ran and Heiji were talking to Hakuba and Makoto. The group looked around when Kaito and Shinichi approached.

"Makoto-san was just telling us about a festival that's starting tomorrow," Ran said by way of greeting. "It's a special celebration they hold here every year in honor of the man who first founded this town. Since we're already here, he wants to know if we'd like to stay for it." Her questioning gaze met Kaito's. He could read the anxiety in them.

"I say we might as well stay," Hattori remarked, giving both magician and karate champion a meaningful look. "We did come all this way. It'd be a shame to just go. If we leave now, we might never get the chance again eh?"

Kaito didn't much like the idea of Shinichi spending any more time in the area in his current condition, but he could see the wisdom of it. If they just left now, they would simply be delaying. The culprit was clearly a persistent person. Here, they knew the man was close—had a suspect even—and that meant they had a chance to find and capture them. To leave would be to open themselves up to a future assault when they might be less wary.

So he shrugged. "It's fine with me. I don't have anything urgent waiting back home or anything."

Plans were made for everyone to meet in the hotel lobby the following morning. That done, Makoto left and the four teenagers entered the hotel to ask after empty rooms.

X

There was something the others weren't telling him. Pulling a fresh shirt he'd borrowed from Kaito over his head, Shinichi stared into the steam-fogged mirror of the hotel bathroom with a slight frown. He had seen those looks his companions had been exchanging, but none of them had said anything about what they meant to him. He supposed he could ask, but…well, maybe they had a good reason? Granted, he didn't know what that could be. He hated the feeling of being left out. At the same time, he supposed that he might do the same in their position. If it was something vexing, as he suspected it was, then he wouldn't wish to burden it upon a recovering friend either. Still, it wasn't as though he was an invalid or anything.

His slightly irritated and confused thoughts chased themselves around in his head as he stepped back out into the room. He was distracted, however, by the sight of the room's one table. It had been bare when he'd gone in for his shower. Now it had a spread of food-laden plates on it with utensils set for two. A set of lit candles stood dispersed amidst the plates, their flames casting bright sparks across the cutlery.

Kaito looked up from where he'd just finished lighting the last candle and grinned. "Oh good. I was starting to wonder if I needed to go in there and make sure you hadn't passed out or something."

"Don't treat me like an invalid," Shinichi grumbled, crossing his arms. "Where did you get all that anyway?"

"A combination of room service and some creative persuasion." He paused and his grin faded a little as he looked Shinichi over. "You really need to eat more." He'd expected his shirt to be a bit loose on his smaller companion, but he hadn't expected it to hang as much as it was doing. Having been in recovery was only so much of an excuse. What had his detective been eating? Or not eating, as the case may be. Well, they could start remedying that right now. "Have a seat and I'll get the drinks."

"But what about the others? I thought we were supposed to be eating with them."

Kaito dismissed the question with a careless wave. "They'll live."

**TBC**


	12. In the Picture

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK

* * *

**Path of Dappled Light**

12: In the Picture

"So, Hakuba, how'd you find that Makoto Seiji guy?"

Pausing with a piece of sushi halfway to his mouth, the blond detective gave his dark-skinned counterpart a look with raised eyebrows. "Is this important?"

"Can't you just answer the question?" the Osakan retorted impatiently. Seriously, why would he even bother asking if it _wasn't_ important in some way? It wasn't like it was all that interesting a subject in and of itself.

Hakuba sighed. "Since you insist, he was referred to me."

Hattori's eyes narrowed. "Yeah? By who?"

The blonde shrugged. "Just about everyone. He's fairly well known around here as an experienced hiker. I was told no one knew these mountains like he did."

"But he didn't know about the village Shinichi was staying in," Ran murmured, confused. Her chopsticks hovered over her own plate as her eyebrows drew together. "Isn't that a little strange?"

"It is a bit peculiar," Hakuba conceded. "However, just because he is known around here for his knowledge of the mountain trails, doesn't mean he knows everything there is to know. I do not believe that any one man could really know every part of such an expansive place. Indeed, I would question the reliability of someone who claimed that kind of knowledge."

"Did they actually say he was a local though?" Hattori pressed on, the remains of his meal completely forgotten.

The other detective paused, studying his face intently, then nodded. "A lady at the convenience store mentioned that he and his brother used to be in her class during elementary school. She mentioned that they were the outdoors type even then, though the brother a little less so than Seiji-san. They both moved away some years ago, but he still returns regularly to hike the trails."

"He has a brother?"

"I'm sure I just answered that. Now are you going to explain to me why you are suddenly so interested in Makoto-san's credentials? I take it that's what you have doubts about."

The blonde watched as his fellow detective and Ran traded looks. Yes, there was definitely something going on here. Had they noticed something he had missed? He dismissed the thought immediately. Surely not. Then again, perhaps they had had information he didn't have. But…something about his local guide?

"Does this have something to do with Kudo-san?" he stated more than asked. It was the only reasonable conclusion. For some reason, the others seemed to have decided that Makoto Seiji could have something to do with whatever ad happened to Kudo Shinichi.

"We think he might be the one who shot at Kudo," Hattori said finally. He didn't particularly like working with Hakuba, but he had to admit that the blonde was a decent detective, even if he was a damned irritating one, and it would be easier to work if he was cooperating. "Not just at the village though. See, Kudo mentioned to Kuroba that he feels like he's seen the guy before."

"And based on this, you're saying my guide—the one I hired after I got here because he is known around here for his familiarity with the mountain trails—was the sniper?" Hakuba asked skeptically.

"Exactly."

"But I thought he was with Mouri-san when Kudo-san and Kuroba were shot at."

"Turns out they split up around that time."

"I see." The blonde mulled this over. He supposed there were indeed some grounds upon which to wonder. Still, a feeling of familiarity from someone who hadn't even remembered his own name wasn't exactly definitive evidence of anything. Shinichi could just as easily have seen the man in town before he'd headed up the mountain. "Did Kudo-san say anything else?"

Hattori waved away the question with an impatient gesture. "Not really, but here's what we were thinking. If he does look familiar to Kudo then it seems likely they might have met during one of Kudo's cases. So I was thinking we could…"

X

Indigo eyes stared up at the dark ceiling of the hotel room. An annoyed sigh left the magician's lips. He just couldn't sleep.

Turning his head to the side, he looked across the room to the figure curled up in the room's other bed, reassuring himself that it was still there.

_ "Ah Tantei-kun, you know me too well."_

_ The small boy snorted. "Hardly. I don't even know your name."_

_ The thief made a noncommittal noise, the corners of his mouth quirking into an amused smirk that wasn't quite the same as his usual shark grin. "Shall I take you home then?"_

_ That got him a disgruntled, blue glare. "I can get there on my own."_

_ "Perhaps, but a small child wandering through the streets by himself at night isn't safe. Besides," he added, scooping the detective up into his arms before the boy could start one of his complaints about not being a child, "flying is much faster." With that, he stepped off the roof._

_ Small hands grabbed the lapels of his jacket instinctively as the boy let out an involuntary yelp. Over the howl of the wind, Kaito thought he heard something along the lines of "crazy thief" being grumbled into his shirt. Despite that, he could sense Shinichi relaxing. It made him smile._

What his little detective hadn't seemed to realize was that he hadn't been teasing when he'd made that comment—never was (it hadn't been the first or the last time he'd said it). Out of all the people around him, Shinichi was truly one of the only ones who really _knew_ him. He might not have known the thief's name at the time, but what was a name anyway? There were plenty of people out there who knew his name, but he could count the number of those who could even begin to guess at his real thoughts and motives on the fingers of one hand. But it wasn't just about intellect. Tantei-kun believed in him—trusted in his integrity as a person despite their rival positions when it came to the law enough to take him at his word when he showed up with his proposition and work with him without asking that he reveal any more about his identity than he chose to. He understood the lengths to which the thief had gone—would go—to in order to accomplish his goals. He had seen and understood that line between black and white that the both of them had walked. And he understood Kaito's sense of humor and appreciated his art (which, frankly, was one thing some people never would).

He liked to think that he provided the same understanding and support for Shinichi.

They had come so far, and he'd almost lost it all in one moment.

He had promised himself a long time ago, on that day he told the detective his name, that he would protect him. It was more than just the desire to keep someone he cared about safe. It was a need to prove that there was more to life than that eternal struggle between good and evil that they had fought so hard for—that they could have a future too. One that wasn't about survival but about dreams.

But it seemed peace was more fragile than he'd realized.

Just because they had defeated their biggest enemies, didn't mean it was just going to be smooth sailing from here on out. There would always be others, especially considering Shinichi's choice of work. And Kaito couldn't always be there to watch over him.

It was not a reminder he appreciated.

Letting his breath out in a silent sigh, he got out of bed. Padding across the room on silent feet, he paused only for a moment before slipping under the covers with the sleeping Shinichi. Gathering the detective to his chest, he turned his eyes to the curtain-shrouded window, wishing he could see the moon.

X

"This fountain is the founder's memorial," Makoto Seiji explained. "They fill it with fresh flowers every festival. It's said that placing flowers in the fountain on this day will give a person good luck."

"It's beautiful," Ran breathed, watching as the colorful blossoms bobbed on the fountain's shifting waters. "We should take a picture."

"That's a great idea," Hattori said quickly. Reaching into his pocket, he came up with his phone. "If you guys all stand in front there, I can take the picture."

"We should go to the other side," Kaito added, gently propelling Shinichi towards the fountain. "The light is better over there."

As the others arranged themselves by the fountain, Hattori turned on the camera function of his phone. He was startled when a hand tapped him on the shoulder. Glancing around, he found Makoto standing beside him.

"Here, let me take the picture for you," the man offered. "This is the first time any of you have come here after all. You should be in the picture too."

"Er, well, I don't really mind not being in the photo—"

"But you can be, so you might as well," the man pointed out, sounding perfectly reasonable. "Don't worry, I've got a steady hand. And I really shouldn't intrude on a picture of you and your friends."

"I, uh…it's just…" the detective stammered before his shoulders slumped in defeat. "I guess you're right."

"That was pathetic," Kaito muttered out of the corner of his mouth as Makoto waved for Hakuba to step closer to Ran.

"You do it then if you're so good at it," the Osakan shot back a touch sulkily. He'd been so close! It wasn't his fault the guy was so insistent. Could he possibly have guessed what they were up to? He worried about that for a moment then dismissed it. There wasn't any way for Makoto to have found out. Maybe the guy was just cautious. Of course, they could be barking up the wrong tree altogether, and the man could just be a helpful if quiet guy who wanted to show them around his hometown and felt it would be awkward to be part of a photo full of old friends and colleagues.

X

"Hey, this is cool," the magician exclaimed an hour later as he stopped beside a stall selling long strings of tiny ornaments. Each was a miniature of some landmark or local product. "Excuse me, but what's the longest one you've got."

"That would be this one here," the salesman replied with a cheerful smile. He pointed to a dangling bundle of thread of figurines. "Almost twenty feet, this one."

Kaito whistled. "It really is amazing. It's a shame I don't have room for it at home… Hey, if I buy one of the shorter ones, would you let me take a picture of that long one?"

The salesman was all too happy to agree. Like any true artist, all he really wanted was for people to appreciate his work. The problem was that the string of figures really was as long as he said, and stretching it out meant a photo no one could make out.

"It kind of defeats the point if you can't see the whole thing at once though," the magician lamented. Then his eyes lit up and he turned to his companions. "I know. If we each hold a section of it, I'm sure we could arrange ourselves so that the whole thing is in the picture. How about it?"

A few minutes later he had all of them arranged so that the string of ornaments could zigzag between their hands. Even with Hattori, Hakuba, Shinichi, Kaito, and Ran, however, they didn't have enough hands or arm length to stop the ornaments from getting tangled.

"Can you just take that end there and pull it up?" Kaito asked, turning to Makoto where the man had been waiting off to the side.

"But then there won't be anyone to take the picture," the man pointed out.

"I'll do it for you," the salesman offered. Before Makoto could object, the salesman had already taken the phone-turned-camera and given him a friendly push towards the group. Caught off guard, the man gingerly accepted the end of the string of ornaments.

Behind his Poker Face, Kaito smirked.

X

Completing the final word on the list she'd been writing, Ran slipped the scrap of notepaper into her pocket and looked around the table. "I'm going to need at least two of you to come with me. I can't carry everyone's orders by myself."

"I'll help," Hattori offered. He cast an eye over the others. He would've liked Shinichi to go with them too, but he was busy wiping off the rather large table. Its previous occupants had left it in quite a mess and no one wanted to eat on it before it was cleaned up. Hakuba had also taken up the task of collecting the leftover trash That left… "Kuroba, we kinda need one more pair of hands. Think you could help?"

"Why don't you ask Makoto-san? I'm sure he knows more than I do about what tastes good at the festival."

Hattori forced a laugh. "Yeah, but everyone's already decided what they want." Then he lowered his voice, trying not to move his lips too much. "Do you really want that guy handling our food?"

The magician frowned. Hattori had a point. And they still had to find a moment away for the Osakan detective to call his contacts. Unfortunately, pulling Shinichi away from his self-appointed task of cleaning the table for something any of them could do would look strange. On the other hand, Hakuba would be with him. The blonde was a nuisance, but he was also a detective and knew he was supposed to keep an eye out for trouble.

Making up his mind, he directed his customary grin on the other half of the party, slipping a tracer onto the hem of Shinichi's jacket as he passed. "You three just wait here and make sure no one steals our chairs, okay?"

It took the two detectives and Makoto almost a whole five minutes after the others had left to finish making the table into something sanitary enough to eat on. Dumping all the trash into the nearest trash receptacle, they took up seats at regular intervals around said table to better guard the empty chairs from the mass of people vying for a seat in the food court.

"I could use a drink of water," Makoto sighed a few minutes later when the others had ye to reappear. He glanced at his watch then got back to his feet. "I'll go get us some drinks."

"I can come help," Shinichi offered. "You can't carry that many cups by yourself."

"I'll come too," Hakuba said quickly, also getting to his feet.

"But if you go too there won't be anyone at the table," Shinichi pointed out. "With so many people here, we probably won't have a table to come back to if we all go."

The blonde had to admit that he was probably right. However, he couldn't sit around and let Shinichi wander off alone with their suspect. Quite aside from it being unsafe, the others would kill him (well, not kill exactly, obviously, but he had the sneaking suspicion that death would be preferable if something untoward were to actually happen to Kudo and Kuroba were to have any reason to believe that it was somehow Hakuba's fault).

"Why don't you stay here then?" he suggested. "You're still recovering and we have been active all morning. A rest would do you good."

Kudo looked like he wanted to argue, but apparently he thought better of it and shrugged. "I guess if you insist. But really, I'm feeling fine."

"It is best not to push these things."

"I know one place that always has special beverages for festival days," Makoto said as he led the way. "It's a little ways from here, but I am sure you all would like it."

X

"What did they say?" Kaito asked when Hattori came jogging up to where he and Ran were waiting in line.

"There's no one called Makoto Seiji in their criminal records, but I kinda expected that much," the Osakan detective replied. "I sent them the picture and they said they'd run it through analysis and send it around to see if anything turns up. They'll call me back when they're done."

Ran let out a quiet sigh. "Well, that's good at least."

X

Juggling three brimming cups of blended fruit smoothies with colorful, paper umbrellas sticking out their tops while trying to meander through throngs of excited festival attendees was not easy. Having to do so through an unfamiliar town while trying to follow someone was all but impossible.

"Oh, sorry!" a little boy gasped as he bumped into the blonde's knees.

The detective let out an involuntary cry as he tipped forward. Swinging his weight around, he managed not to fall on the kid, but juice sloshed out of the cups and all over his sleeves.

The boy stood there, wide-eyed. "I—I'm really sorry. I should've been watching where I was going! I—"

"That's all right," Hakuba cut in before the kid could say any more. He sighed, grimacing at the cold stickiness making his sleeves cling to his arms and glistening on his fingers. "It can't be helped. Just try to be more careful next time."

"I will," the boy promised, bowing deeply then scampering off.

The blonde watched him go, shaking his head. That was when he remembered he had somewhere to be. Turning around quickly, he scanned the crowd, but there was no sign of his guide anywhere. The man had gone.

Cursing, he shifted the cups so that they were pinned against him by one arm, ignoring the fact that his jacket front would now be sticky too. His other hand searched for his phone. A frown made its way onto his face. He checked his other pocket then started patting himself down. No phone.

He cursed.

**TBC**

* * *

**A.N**: I'm not sure if I'll be able to finish the next chapter on schedule because it's giving me grief, but I'll do my best! And if I can't, then I'll put up something else. ^_^ Have a great week!


	13. Piece fo Piece

**A.N**: There was supposed to be more to this chapter, but since the rest is still being difficult, I decided to go ahead and put up what I had. Hopefully the rest will sort itself out soon ^.^

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK

* * *

**Path of Dappled Light**

13: Piece to Piece

Left to his own devices, Shinichi sat with his arms folded atop the empty table. His fingers tapped idly on the surface as his thoughts drifted.

He hadn't missed the tracking device Kaito had snuck onto his jacket. Did Kaito think he was going to just wander off? Had it been a simple precaution? That would be understandable, and yet… That feeling that there was something he wasn't being told was back again.

The way Hattori had behaved at the fountain had been…odd. Closing his eyes, he pictured the moment in his mind. Shinichi hadn't been able to hear everything the Osakan detective and Makoto Seiji had said, but it had been obvious that the former had been reluctant to hand over his phone-turned-camera. Of course, in this day and age, there were a lot of reasons not to simply hand your phone to almost-strangers. The little devices simply contained too much personal information. That hadn't looked like what the Osakan had been worried about though, especially since he handed it over in the end anyway. Why had he been so disappointed that he didn't get to take the picture himself? Had he not wanted to be in the picture? Or was it something he _did_ want in the picture? That did seem more likely. He hadn't made any fuss over the rest of the pictures they'd taken today though. So what had been different about the picture at the fountain?

His thoughts were interrupted by several soft thuds. He looked up to see that Makoto was back. The noise had been the sound of the cups he was carrying being set on the table. Shinichi looked over the man's shoulder then frowned. "Where's Hakuba-san?"

"He spilled a little juice on his clothes so he went to clean it off," Makoto explained. He slid one of the drinks over to Shinichi before claiming another and sitting down. "You may wish to be careful too. This stuff is rather sticky when dry."

Shinichi nodded and took a sip from his cup. The blend of fruits was surprisingly sweet with a dash of sour and a tangy quality that suggested the presence of certain citrus fruits.

"So what do you think?"

"It's good. Do you know what's in it?"

The man chuckled. "Something like a dozen different fruits and then some. They're pretty protective of their recipes. All they'll say is that everything's fresh. But that's craftsmen for you. Never want to tell anyone anything about their techniques."

An image of Kaito's knowing smirk flashed through his mind and Shinichi smiled. "That's true." He paused, considering the man quietly drinking his own juice on the other side of the table for a long moment before he spoke again. "There's something I've been wanting to ask you, Makoto-san."

The man raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Have we…met somewhere? Before you came with Hakuba-san, I mean."

The man's face went blank for the fraction of a second before shifting into a puzzled expression. That momentary lapse, however, made Shinichi tense. That familiar sense that something was wrong tingled through his nerves. Taking a deep breath, he spent a moment making sure his expression didn't change too much. Then he pushed his chair back and stood.

"Can you watch the table for a bit? I'm going to see if Hakuba-san needs any help," he started to say only to pause as an unexpected wave of vertigo made him stumble. Had he stood up too fast? No, that wasn't it—

His vision spun and blurred. Reaching out blindly, he grasped at the table, fingernails scraping across the surface. There was a clunk and something cold and wet slithered past his hands. He must have knocked over his drink.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Makoto's voice reached his ears from somewhere far away. "Kudo-san?"

Then that too distorted and faded into nothing.

X

Laden down with steaming trays of festival food, Kaito, Ran, and Heiji had almost reached the dining tables when they spotted a familiar head of blond hair running in the same direction.

"Isn't that Hakuba-san?" Ran asked, startled.

Hattori cursed. "I thought we told him to stay at the table! What's he doing here?"

Kaito lengthened his stride, indigo eyes already beginning to search the tables. "Why can't you detectives ever just do what you're told?"

"Hey, don't lump me in with _him_! We are absolutely nothing alike!"

"Guys, I don't see Shinichi!" Ran interjected, face going pale. There also seemed to be a greater amount of commotion than there had been when they'd left the dining tables earlier. She couldn't remember exactly which table had been theirs, but she did remember roughly which section it was in and, well, it wasn't there anymore. Or rather there weren't any empty tables there anymore. Nor was there any sign of her childhood friend. She did, however, spot Hakuba talking to a group of strangers in the midst of the hubbub. She opened her mouth to point him out only to realize that both her companions were already halfway there.

Kaito shoved his tray onto the table between two startled teenagers with a quick apology before grabbing the blond detective's arm and spinning him around. "Hakuba! Where's Shinichi?"

Panic flickered across the detective's face before he managed to collect himself. "That is what I am trying to find out. This lady here was telling me what happened."

"The poor boy who was sitting here earlier collapsed," the woman in question explained, offering Kaito what she probably meant to be a reassuring smile. "But it should be all right. The hospital's not too far from here and his friend said he had a car. If you'd like, I can write down the directions for you. Are you his brother?"

The magician ignored the 'brother' comment in lieu of more important things. "His friend? Was it a tall man? Dark hair, thin mustache, kind of narrow, gray eyes?"

"That's right." The woman paused then, apparently realizing that her words weren't having the desired effect. Hattori's renewed cursing in the background as he began berating Hakuba for running off to who knew where wasn't helping. Hakuba snapped back that he'd had his reasons, and the two devolved into another argument.

"Um, is there a problem?" she asked hesitantly.

Employing all his acting prowess, Kaito smiled at the woman. "It's nothing you need to concern yourself with. It's just that our friend's been sick and we were worried when we didn't see him here."

"Oh, I see. Well, like I said, I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."

"Thank you."

The woman nodded to him one last time before excusing herself to return to her own table. Kaito watched her go before starting out of the dining court with long strides. He heard several of his companions calling after him but he ignored them. He had to find Shinichi.

X

_ "Hey Shin-chan, have you considered taking lessons in some kind of martial arts?"_

_ "…No? That was random. Why do you ask?"_

_ "Let's see, Ran-san has her karate, Tantei-han has kendo, and Hakuba fences. I recall that even Kazuha-san does some martial arts. And, of course, I have my skills as both a gymnast and an experienced kaitou—and the ability to hide more nasty surprises on my person than anyone could expect—"_

_ "And the silver tongue not to need any of it," Shinichi muttered._

_ "Naturally. You, on the other hand, play soccer."_

_ "Hey, don't talk about soccer like it's useless," Shinichi huffed, offended._

_ Kaito held up his hands in a placating gesture, though he didn't look very apologetic. "Hey, I didn't say it was useless. Trust me, I know how hard you can kick. The problem is, that's not the same as being battle-ready."_

_ "I doubt any of us could actually be considered _battle_-ready," Shinichi replied dryly._

_ The thief waved a dismissive hand. "Skirmish-ready then. It would help if you were at least a little better at retreating, but you could use a lot of work in that department too."_

_ "Well forgive me for not being a professional escape artist."_

_ "That's not exactly what I meant. I mean, let's face it, you're much better at running at trouble than away from it, but there are some situations where it's better to retreat and regroup."_

_ "What exactly is the point of this conversation?"_

_ The magician's face grew abruptly serious. "I just want you to be safe. Much as I'd like to, I can't watch over you all the time, and at the rate you're going it's only going to be a matter of time before you bite off more than you can chew."_

_ "Kaito…"_

When he opened his eyes to a blur of blue, green, and brown, the first thing that surfaced in his mind was confusion. Where was he and how had he gotten here? The second thing that crossed his mind was alarm. Forget where he was: why couldn't he move?

Panic fought against the strange, woozy fuz in his head. Blinking to clear his vision, he realized that he was looking at leafy boughs twined together between him and the sky. He was also pretty sure that that was dirt and dry leaves under him. So he was in the forest. Shifting a little, he realized that he was leaning against what had to be the trunk of a tree. Giving himself a light shake, he took another moment to take in the rest of his surroundings.

He was at the edge of a small clearing. As he had guessed, it was somewhere in the forest. The ground sloped slightly and he could see the shadow of the mountains looming along one side of the sky. There was no sign of the town through the trees and no distant sounds of traffic.

So he was definitely back in the mountain forest, but he couldn't remember how he'd gotten here. Granted, it didn't take a genius to guess, considering that even through the static in his head he could feel that his hands had been tied behind him. But how long had he been here? Judging from the quality of the light, it was some time in the afternoon. His stomach was telling him that it wanted food, but the hunger pangs weren't bad enough for him to think he'd been here for days. So it had probably only been a few hours.

Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, he shifted slightly, pretending to still be unconscious. Cracking his eyelids open just a little, he watched as a man he recognized emerged from the forest carrying a camper's pack.

And of course now it all made sense. The others had suspected that Makoto Seiji was the man who'd tried to shoot him at the village—maybe even the man who'd driven him onto the bridge to begin with as well. Only they must not have been sure. That was why they'd agreed to stay for the festival. They were trying to make sure so they could deal with the man while they knew his location. The pictures—he'd bet anything they'd wanted one with Makoto in it so that they could ask the police to run it through their database.

It would have been nice to be told, he mused, annoyed, but there wasn't any point in getting upset about it now.

Dropping his pack a few feet from where Shinichi was, the man cast a look at him before turning away and crouching. He began to pull tools out of his pack. Shinichi studied his actions in mild confusion.

It looked like the man was making a campfire? Strange. Did that mean he intended to camp out and move on to somewhere else tomorrow? But why bother? Was this not the same person who'd been trying to kill him then? Well, whatever he was up to, it couldn't be anything good.

Since the man had his back to him, Shinichi took the chance to test his bonds. Rough bark scraped against his hands as he scrabbled at it in an attempt to free his arms. It seemed they were not only tied behind his back but also anchored to the tree itself. Any serious attempt to free himself would immediately alert Makoto to the fact that he was awake.

He paused to reevaluate his options. He knew Kaito would be looking for him. His clothes didn't seem to have been disturbed much, so it was possible that the tracer the magician had left on him was still there. That would help as long as they weren't too far away for the signal. The man also didn't seem to be in a hurry to do away with him since he was still making his fire. So Shinichi could wait. On the other hand, it was possible that the tracer had been removed or was out of range. In that case, he would need to find a way to free himself because the chances of a third party just happening upon them were slim, especially since he couldn't see any actual trails nearby.

While he'd been thinking, the man had finished building his campfire and stood up. Taking a step away from it, Makoto stretched before dusting off his hands. With him out of the way, Shinichi could now see the campfire clearly—including the fact that Makoto hadn't prepared it properly. There were no stones to shield it and the ground hadn't been cleared of dry foliage. The dead leaves and twigs near the flickering tongues were already beginning to catch the sparks. The flame was still fairly small, but it would start spreading soon, and once it did he knew it would only grow faster until it became a full on wildfire. The man had even left a few random camping tools by it to complete the careless camper image.

So that was what the fire was for. Well, the man had just officially crossed the line to crazy extremist.

**TBC**


End file.
